Andrew Haydon, former mayor of Nepean, has decided to step back into the political arena, saying he believes the other candidates lack a vision for Ottawa, particularly with respect to transit, according to his campaign website.
Haydon is credited with introducing Ottawa’s original transitway, and said on his site he feels that the new LRT plan is misguided. He is in favour of a transit system that places buses ahead of light-rail as the central means of transport. He claims the LRT is too expensive for the city, whereas buses wouldn’t cost a penny.
Although transit is at the center of his platform, Haydon does have other policy ideas. He’s been adamant about redeveloping Lansdowne Park, expanding the urban boundary, and implementing a ring-road around the city, his site says.
Keeping these development projects in mind, Haydon is quick to remind voters of his fiscal-conservative stance. Most of his plans for Ottawa involve keeping a tight control over the city’s chequebook, according to his site.
One of his ideas is to create an executive board consisting of nine councillors to oversee and hold the file for many of the city’s upcoming development projects, a move he said will ensure the projects keep costs low, and are handled efficiently, his site says.
Haydon could not be reached for comment.