Since January 2, 2010, people have been asking me if I am going to run in this year’s municipal election. More specifically, will I run in River Ward? The answer is no. I’m not going to be a candidate in this municipal election. My life has moved on since 2006 and it would be very difficult at this time to dedicate the time and effort needed to win an election this time around. To all those who know me, they know it has been an agonizing process for me to come to my decision. I love my neighbourhood and I’ve worked hard over the past four years with many community groups. I have gotten...

The American psyche perplexes me. At least from the view point I pick up through US cable news and blogs, from the right and left, from the Republicans and the Democrats. How can a people who a short 16 months ago voted to improve their country through hope and change settle for fear and despair? When I listen to the debates on health care, the economy and bailouts, all I hear is fear mongering by both sides and forecasting of doom and gloom. The expectations that everything from the economy to wars to international relations would be fixed within a year of election is puzzling. It took years...

Congratulations to Bob Chiarelli on his win as MPP for Ottawa West Nepean. It’s a big win for Chiarelli and an even bigger win for Premier Dalton McGuinty. In spite of continual tax hikes and poor spending controls, the provincial government has been able to hang onto what is considered a swing riding. Some analysts will say that The PCs ran an inexperienced candidate against a tested and proven skilled politician. Beth Graham threw her all into this race and did as good a job as she could. I don’t think her freshness was the problem. She was a good candidate and I hope she runs again....

Congratulations Banff community on getting a pledge from the city for a new and badly needed field house. This $1.3M building secured for the community by Councillor Maria McRae. I know for a fact that this community has come such a long way. From when I was growing up as a kid living in South Keys, facilities such as this were sorely needed to provide the children and teenagers of the community a place to hold regular activities. This is a place that the community will control and from which they well get a lot of benefits. I have been sent some emails from readers who feel that this is only...

I have blogged on numerous occasions about Jim Watson. If you read some of my past posts, you may conclude that in some cases, I’ve been a little over the top. But really, at the essence of what I wrote is that I truly believe that Mr. Watson is not the run of the mill politician. Over the past months, leading up to Mr. Watson’s decision to run for Mayor, I heard a lot of people talking about what is good about Watson and what is not. Jim Watson has had a very accomplished political career to date. He entered municipal politics by beating an incumbent councillor (how did you do that?)....

Thanks for your recent comment on my February 4, 2010 blog Doug but I wanted to personally respond to your comment that I always am attacking River Ward Councillor Maria McRae. First of all, I comment on Councillor McRae the most because she is the councillor for the ward in which I live. I am far more aware of the issues for which she deals with on behalf of River Ward residents and therefore ,I comment more on my local issues. Not all my posts are negative and I usually give her credit when she does something either well or extraordinary for a city councillor. On the flip side, I have no...

Even though Nortel Networks filed for bankruptcy protection on January 14, 2008, some two years ago, it took a by-election in Ottawa West Nepean to nudge Ottawa born Premier Dalton McGuinty to do what the province should always have done when the issue first came up, cover the pension of the Nortel employees. But this post is not about the Nortel employees getting their pension back, good for you. No, this post is about the strange world of McGunity politics; the world where no money goes to anything unless there is a political gain for the governing Liberals. That’s right. It’s not what...