Who wants to be mayor ... again?
When you google Bob Chiarelli, predictive text fills in for you “former mayor of Ottawa.”
Of course, he’s been more than that. He’s been MPP (twice), regional chair and mayor. Now he wants to be mayor again. And he’s polling alright, too. He’s solidly third but with pretty decent numbers. Clearly there’s something about him as a candidate that people in Ottawa like.
I think it’s his experience (he’s got gobs of it, obviously) but mostly the fact that he wants to have us live within our means. It’s not a discourse I find inspiring, to be honest. But I know many — many — Ottawans who wish for exactly that kind of leader. Someone who doesn’t dream big expensive dreams but ensures what we have is running smoothly and that the budget makes sense.
He is passionate, devoted to this city, and ready to do what he can to make it better.
You can read my interview with him here. There is one thing from our conversation that didn’t make it into the piece. I asked him what drove him nuts about Ottawa. His answer was that we couldn’t get the Sens into the playoffs.
If you have tips on how to do that, I’m sure he’d appreciate.
