The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 3

THE OTTAWA CITIZEN TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1988 1 ACTION LINEC6 CLASSIFIED ADSC7 BEST AVAILABLE COPY SECTION '0 I 'J i PAGES C1-C20 Ottawa's P(ugvIII raSss ft asj victor 3 0 New faces tilt Ottawa to left By Wendy Smith Citizen staff writer Ottawa Mayor Jim Durrell will find it a little tougher walking pro-development issues through city council in the next three years. With the defeat of Carleton Aid. Bob Morrison a staunch Durrell supporter and the election kK Va. 7 W. of Lynn Smyth in Capital and Michael Janigan in Dalhousie wards with New Democratic Party support, Ottawa voters have given their city gov- id nudge to the left Socal housing "Jim has significant political skills, but he's going to have to reach deep into his barrel," said right-leaning Alta Vista Aid.

Dar-rel Kent, who was acclaimed in Alta Vista. "I'm going to have to learn to look left now," Kent joked while watching the ballot counts come in at Ottawa City Hall. Left-leaning candidates won in most of the city's five tight races Paul Latour, Citizen Re-elected Ottawa Mayor Jim Durrell celebrates with son Michael, 12, and wife Sam Regional Council makeup changes little except in Richmond ward, where incumbent Jacquelin Holzman easily defeated challengers Alex Cullen and Daniel Stringer Nepean's Loney, Ottawa aldermen to join unchanged cast of mayors By Charles Rusnell Cit'Zen staft writer 4 challengers no match for mayor By Jack Aubry Citizen staff writer It was just another day at the office for Ottawa Mayor Jim Dur-rell. Oh sure, there was the municipal election but Durrell hardly let on his job was being contested. Arriving at his office at about 7:30 a.m., the mayor put in a full day at city hall before learning shortly after the polls closed that he had won his job back in an expected landslide.

Arriving at a re-election party at the Civic Centre with his wife and two children about 9 p.m., Durrell said his administration had delivered on its first-term promises and residents can expect "more of the same." "We told the city (in 1985) we would take it in a different direction and we did," he said. The 41-year-old former insurance manager acknowledged it had been frustrating to run against fringe candidates. He promised to continue to open the city up to new investment while maintaining its social programs. Only minutes after telling the crowd he hoped the city was "blessed with the same council," Durrell showed surprise when a nearby television set announced Carleton Aid. Bob Morrison had gone down to defeat to newcomer Tim Kehoe.

Durrell downplayed to reporters the new faces on council, but was heard commenting to campaign workers "it looks like a big change." He said he expects to be able to work with the new members. Durrell soundly trounced his four opponents. Michael Bartholomew, a Rideau Street businessman, placed second with more than 4,400 votes. John Turmel, a perennial candidate, managed to place third even though he was also busy running in a Nov. 3 provincial byelection and next week's federal election as an independent in Ottawa Centre.

A disappointed Bartholomew said the media never took the four candidates running against Durrell seriously. He said there was only one all-candidates meeting where all the candidates showed up and there was no real opportunity to discuss city issues. The other candidates were Na-bil Fawzy and John Kroeker. The lack of challengers to Durrell was blamed for one of the lowest election turnouts in Otta-wa-Carleton in more than a decade. Early estimates from Ottawa city clerk's office predicted less than 35 per cent of the 241,748 eligible voters showed up at the polls.

It is the second significant drop in Ottawa, down from 41 per cent in 1985 and 47 per cent in 1982. Durrel! also said next week's federal election overshadowed the municipal one. About 300 of Durrell's supporters blitzed neighborhoods Sunday, leaving leaflets asking residents to vote at about 50,000 houses, said Jeff Polowin, the mayor's aide. Durrell has said he was spending only about $40,000 on his 1988 campaign, compared with about $125,000 in 1985 when he defeated rival alderman Marlene Catterall. Durrell has been a member of Ottawa Council since 1980, serving two terms as the alderman for the former Riverside ward before being elected mayor.

Durrell points to the more than $250 million of new development during his term and the city's new $90-million agreement with the province that is expected to create more than 2,500 new affordable units. Polowin said the mayor is expected to be back in his office In Britannia Kehoe ward, Aid. Middle road Ruth Wildgen, who usually voted with left-leaning aldermen Nancy Smith and Diane Holmes, faced a tough race against pro-development challenger Jim Jones and was leading by 100 votes with 50 of 61 polls reporting late Monday. In Carleton ward, Tim Kehoe, seen as a middle-of-the-road candidate, wiped right-wing alderman Morrison off the political map. Three years ago, they were neck and neck in a four-way race that ended with Morrison winning by just 89 votes.

Morrison placed third this time. Smyth and Janigan are downplaying their NDP support, and said Monday night they don't ex- Paul Latour Citizen Billings Aid. Joan O'Neill easily won victory pect it to make much of a difference on council. "I don't think it's a significant point. I happen to be a new New Democrat, but We have to set some priorities and everybody has a different idea of what those priorities should be.

Ben Franklin Nepean mayor nearly two decades of municipal political experience, possesses a keen mind for detail, especially when it comes to financial matters, and is a smooth and persuasive public speaker. Known for doing his homework, Loney is critical of some councillors who treat their regional responsibilities as an afterthought. He says he has restructured his business so he can devote more time to regional matters. With the addition of Loney, Nepean has perhaps the strongest contingent on Regional Council with Mayor Ben Franklin and councillors Frank Reid and Gord Hunter. The major issue for council in the coming term is expected to be the financing of capital works projects.

Quite simply, the region doesn't have enough money in its budget to pay for all the sewer, water and road projects that need to be done. "There's going to have be some tough decisions made," said Franklin. "We have to set some priorities and everybody has a different idea of what those priorities should be." Durrell is expected to push to keep regional tax increases to a minimum while maintaining the region's substantial capital funding programs. Besides having the largest budget in Ottawa-Carleton, regional government is responsible for major projects like the transitway, all major roads, water, sewers and social services. Acclamations, several weak races and only a couple of upsets combined to give Ottawa-Carleton one of its most experienced regional councils in recent years.

In Ottawa, where all councillors are automatially regional councillors, Mayor Jim Durrell and at least 11 of 15 aldermen were re-elected. The three newcomers are Lynn Smyth, Tim Kehoe and Michael Janigan. Britannia Ward incumbent Ruth Wildgen was leading Jim Jones by about 100 votes with 50 of 61 polls reporting late Monday. Nepean has one new regional councillor Al Loney. Gloucester councillors will choose two members to accompany acclaimed Mayor Harry Allen on Regional Council.

The city's polling results were not available at presstime, but both previous Regional Council members, Claudette Cain and Richard Cantin, were running for re-election. Vanier councillors will choose one member to join re-elected Mayor Gisele Lalonde. Kanata and the rural municipalities are represented by their mayors and all were re-elected. In Ottawa, Janigan captured the seat in Dalhousie Ward left vacant by Mac Harb. A well-known New Democrat, Janigan should help provide some balance on the council which is dominated by a pro-business, pro-development faction.

Smyth knocked off Rob Quinn, who was an intelligent and able representative of Capital Ward but tended to lose the support of his fellow councillors because of his sometimes arrogant attitude Quinn's strong analytical skills, which allowed him to recognize potential problems and offer effective solutions, will be missed by council. Quinn's role as the trouble-shooter will be taken over by Nepean Coun. Al Loney, who won the regional seat formerly held by Beryl Gaffney. Loney has the potential to be council's bright star. He has I also happen Janigan to be a lawyer New Democrat and a Catholic and I live in this ward Janigan said.

Jar. an defeated Peter Harris by oi. 15 votes to take the seat vacated by Mac Harb, who is running federally in Ottawa Centre. Smyth said she intends to work issue by issue. "I wouldn't like to start putting myself in a political slot." But Smyth, who plans to work to bring social housing to the Glebe and Ottawa South, opposes a proposal from the city's planning department that private developers be encouraged to commission their own community planning studies as a cost saving measure.

"We need a counterbalance to developers planning and we need objective assessment of them. And we can't put that in developers' hands." Durrell said Monday night he was was surprised at the outcome, but expects the new council to work much as the last one did, with coalitions that vote differently in every issue. John Major. Cittzen Richmond Aid. Jacquie Holzman gets a victory hug Ottawa voters endorse 'One Big City' idea in plebiscite Election stories index CBE C5 CSSB C5 Cumberland C4 French School Board C5 Gloucester C3 Goulbourn C3 Kanata C3 Nepean C3 OBE C5 OSSB C5 Osgoode C4 Rideau C4 Rockcliffe Park C3 Valley C2 Vanier C3 West Carleton C4 municipalities would then form their own region.

The two-tier system was established in 1969 the first in Ontario as a way to co-ordinate planning and development between Ottawa, which was seeing capital expenses increase rapidly because of growth, and the surrounding municipalities, experiencing equally rapid suburban expansion. Regional government was seen as a way of providing a united approach to these problems and expanding services, such as roads and sewers, without imposing sudden tax increases on ratepayers. But other politicians, such as Nepean Mayor Ben Franklin, say one a one-tier system would erode local autonomy, replacing responsive local governments with a huge bureaucratic monster that might eat even more tax dollars Gloucester Mayor Harry Allen said the super-city concept is nothing more than an attempt by Ottawa to have other municipalities help shoulder its debt. "If (the plebiscite vote) was anything less than 100 per cent, it should be a surprise. Who wouldn't vote 100 per cent to have someone help pay your mortgage?" berland and Rockcliffe Park formed into a single municipality of about 600,000 people.

Under the current system, the lower tier or local governments take care of police and fire services, recreation and day-to-day planning, as well as collecting municipal, regional and school taxes. The upper tier or regional government is responsible for things such as social services, major roads, water, sewage disposal and transit. Under the super-city concept, the regional government would be abandoned and the region's rural By Ian MacLeod Citizen staff A'ltof Super-city is a hit. Ottawa voters indicated overwhelmingly in Monday's balloting they want the region's cumbersome two-tier form of government remodeled into a one-tier, super-city system. A plebiscite on the concept -which voters supported by more than a four-to-one margin asked residents if they favored their city working toward one lev el of municipal government for the region's urban area It was only held in Ottawa and is not binding The concept is far from becoming a sure thing.

Kanata Mayor Des Adam, for one, predicts it will never come to be. "They (Ottawa councillors) can go ahead and pursue it if they wish, but it will be a frosty Friday before you see that change in the region," he said Monday night. Supporters of the one-tier system, such as Ottawa Mayor Jim Durrell, argue the current system of 11 local governments is inefficient, and redundant He and other siipor-cily supporters want to see Ottawa, Nepean, Gloucester, Kanata, Cum.