After months of speeches, lawn signs, debates and advertisements, Oct. 25 was the opportunity for the voters of Ottawa to elect their new mayor. In the end they decided to out incumbent Larry O’Brien and elect Carleton alumnus Jim Watson.
Watson, who took a commanding 48.7 per cent of the popular vote en route to victory, said he was elated with the outcome.
“I’m very honoured and excited to help lead this city for the next four years,” he said.
O’Brien finished second in voting with just over 24 per cent of the vote. Former city councillor Clive Doucet drew just under 15 per cent. Neither candidate could be reached for comment.
Fourth-year public affairs and policy management student Ian Kaufman said he wasn’t surprised by Watson’s victory.
“Being the first president of [the Rideau River Residence Association] (RRRA) back in 1981, Watson has a strong connection to Carleton and our community,” he said. “He is aware of the problems facing Ottawa, from the LRT, to affordable housing, to Lansdowne Live.”
However, not everyone was thrilled by this election race.
“There wasn’t a lot of information provided about the canidates on campus, so I was uninformed and pretty much uninterested by this election,” said second-year sociology student Courtney Van Alstyne.
Some Carleton students went beyond voting and volunteered for the mayoral candidates.
As a student working on the Watson campaign, third-year public affairs and policy management student Chris Ducas said he was able to feel the city buzzing over this election.
“The turnout at the polls was amazing to witness, as throughout the day there was a consistently large numbers of voters, really an unprecedented turnout considering recent federal elections plagued with low voter interest,” he said.
In anticipation of his December swearing-in ceremony, Watson said he has already gone to work making sure he’s able to hit the ground running.
He said he’ll be meeting with the city’s other councillors, including 10 who have been elected for the first time, to begin preliminary work on the 2011 budget.
Watson said he was proud of his association with Carleton.
He said he wants to keep Carleton in the loop, saying he plans to “meet up with the folks at [Carleton University Students’ Association] and RRRA very soon, and keep contact with them along the way.”
He also said how proud he was of the U-Pass, adding “I want to continue it. Having people take public transit isn’t just good policy, it’s good, period.”