Who Are The Weak Councillors?

Now that we have three Citizen columnists (a rare triple, maybe a first) agreeing that city staff and Mayor Jim Watson have too much power down at the Laurier Avenue Bylaw Factory, what should we do?

Well, we have a lot of rookie councillors down at Ottawa City Hall so perhaps it’s time for the public to start talking about who should be replaced on that elected body. After all, one way to curb power at the bylaw factory is to have a strong council. Some of them are quite good, but a few are very weak. I think this journalist has made a point of showing at least one who is lacking.

We also need leadership from our veteran councillors. In particular, where has Peter Clark been? What are his initiatives?

It has been more than a year since the municipal election so it is time for rookie councillors to leave the learning curve and show their stuff. A new council is likely to rely more on an experienced staff than a veteran one, so the strength of public servants is natural early in the term. Maybe the public servants got too much of a free rein under former mayor Larry O’Brien?

Who are our weaker councillors? How can the power of staff be curbed? There’s a comment box below.

To read my related column, Curb the power of city staff, click here.

How can we make Ottawa City Council stronger?

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Ken Gray is an Ottawa journalist who was the Citizen’s city editorial page editor, municipal affairs reporter and a member of the newspaper’s editorial board. He writes a weekly column Wednesdays in the Citizen. During the early ’90s, he edited the Southam News-Toronto Star First Edition, one of the first new media ventures in Canada. For more than three decades, he has worked in many posts from reporter to senior editor at the Montreal Gazette, the Winnipeg Free Press, the London Free Press, the Regina Leader-Post and the Citizen. As well, Gray founded and taught a course in media law and municipal government at Algonquin College. He earned a master’s journalism degree and a honours bachelor’s history degree at the University of Western Ontario in the 1970s.

Ottawa’s Community Associations

Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa-Carleton, Alta Vista, Beacon Hill , Beaverbrook Kanata , Bellwood, Blackburn Hamlet, Briarbrook Morgan’s Grant, Bridlewood, Canterbury, Cardinal Creek , Carleton Heights, Carlington, Carlingwood, Carlsbad Springs , Cedarhill, Central Park , Centrepointe, Centretown, Chapel Hill South, Civic Hospital Neighbourhood , Constance & Buckhams Bay, Copeland Park , Country Place , Crystal Beach/Lakeview , Cumberland Village, Dalhousie, Dow’s Lake , Dunrobin, Faircrest Heights, Fairlea, Fallingbrook, Findlay Creek, Fitzroy Harbour , Galetta, General Burns, Glabar Park, Glebe, Glen Cairn , Glens, Greely, Half Moon Bay , Hampton Iona , Havenlea-Chapman Mills, Hearts Desire , Heron Park, Highland Park , Hintonburg , Hunt Club, Huntley, Island Park , Kanata Lakes , Kanata Town Centre, Kars, Katimavik-Hazeldean, Kinburn, Leslie Park , Lincoln Heights-Parkway, Lindenlea, Lowertown, Manor Park, Manotick, March Rural, McKellar Park , Munster Hamlet , Navan, New Edinburgh, Nicolls Island, North Gower , Old Ottawa South , Orchard Estates , Osgoode, Ottawa East, Community Council of Overbrook, Portobello South, Qualicum-Graham Park , Queensway Terrace North, Queenswood Heights, Riverside Park, Riverside South, Riverview Park, Rockcliffe Park , Rockcliffe Mews/Carson Grove, Rothwell Heights, Sandy Hill , Sarsfield, South Keys Greenboro, Southpointe, Stittsville, Stonebridge, Tanglewood-Hillsdale, Trend-Arlington, Vanier, Vars, West Barrhaven, Wellington Village , Westboro, Westboro Beach, Westcliffe Estates, Whitehaven, Woodpark

City Organizations

Citizens for safe cycling, Greenspace Alliance