Up for Elections Time to Bite the Ballot
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OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION REVIEW Volume 4 December 1976 Number 3 Up for elections Time to bite the ballot It's time again to get psyched By BILL JOHNSON Cassey was then running for con- troller, but after having lost that up for municipal elections. As An all-candidates meeting was usual, there are many candidates bid he wants his old job back as sponsored on Thursday, Nov. 18, by for many offices and the average alderman. the Ottawa South'Community Associa- voter could easily become lost in If you can judge such things by tion. It was well attented and, the sea of strange names and faces. the questions from the audience, in the opinion of a few observers, To help overcome this problem, which you probably can't, people it was one of the best chaired OSCAR is printing a report of the in Capital Ward are most concerned meetings they ever seen. (John OSCA-sponsored public all-cand- about the cost and availability of Manson firmly kept the meeting in idates meeting ,held 18 November, day care and about keeping Art's order and on topic). as well as short pieces on as Market in Ottawa South. May the Two of the four mayoral candi- many of the candidates for city best men and women win on December 6. dates showed up: Lorry Greenberg council (mayor, controllers, ald- and Mike Sammon. Mr. Greenberg is erman) as possible. We have also running on his record, Mr. Sammon included excerpts from a question- thinks "millions" are being de- naire conducted by Glebe residents Bearing fruit frauded by people cheating on wel- on candidates for.Board of Education. fare . The response to OSCAR's front- OSCAR endorses no candidates. We The seven controller candidates page editorial in the last issue feel wise choices require an airing were all out, and in fine style. has outdone our wildest imaginings.N of the issues and some knowledge of Two of them, Ernest Bouchard and The Community of Ottawa South has the candidates. Joseph-Louis Paradis, are apparent- spoken loudly on the question of keeping Art's Market in this area. In addition to cur coverage of ly running to provide comic relief, the election, paid ads for various whether they know it or not. The City officials and candidates for candidates appear throughout the others were all impressive to a office have been unable to ignore paper. These, .like our other ads, greater or lesser degree, but the I the problem when so many have made are accepted on a commercial basis. two who seemed to create the most their opinions known. The presence or absence of an ad favorable impression on the audi- The situation^of the Market is for a particular candidate does not ence were Ralph Sutherland and not yet clear. Art plans to remain imply any comment by OSCAR on the Marion Dewar. in this area where it is more ob- relative merits of the candidate Finally, the long but inter- vious than ever that he is wanted; for the office which he or she- esting evening came to an end with exactly where his shop will be open seeks. the questioning of the four alder- is being negotiated. OSCAR will See : manic candidates. Three of the continue to follow these develop- For Mayor Page 2 four, all but Joe Cassey, were also ments and report the outcome in For Board of Control Page 4 fighting it out during the last future issues. For Alderman Page 1 municipal election, in 1974. Mr. For School Trustee Page 7 Meeting a Challenge Page 1 For Alderman By BILL JOHNSON Curious about the four candidates for Alderman in Capital Ward, I went to the all-candidates meeting on Thursday of last week. Here are a few impressions. Thom Bennett: Choirboy face, bouncy way of speaking, Thom is 26 and running a second time, still hoping to follow in the footsteps of big brother Claude Bennett, the minister of tourism in the Ontario Government. Listen to Thom: "When my brother was alderman here the salary was $3,500. He worked very hard. I learnt a lot from him." Joe Cassey. Those dark circles under his eyes! Mr. Cassey, 49, reminds the audience that he voted against the expansion of Lansdowne Park by 7,500 seats. It wouldn't solve the problem and they'd be back for more, he said back in 1974. (continued on page 6) Page 2 all one-sided, "and that goes for For Mayor- the news media as wèll. I respect Consumer Affaira Mr. Greenberg to the highest degree," or how to survive in the marketplace. he said, "but I believe in the demo- A regular OSCAR feature By KATHIE CARRUTHERS cratic principle of competition." By GAIL STEWART Welfare abuse was the keystone of Lorry Greenberg- Something that would be inter- Mr. Sammon's campaign platform. He Mayor Lorry Greenberg takes issue esting to explore is the possibi- noted that $24 million was spent on with allegations in the media that lity of setting up some kind of welfare in Ottawa last year, and ex- this mayoralty electioh is lacklustre community information network in pressed his conviction that a large and without strong issues. "I've al- Ottawa South. If your household is amount of it was "money shafted out ways been an issue candidate and this like ours, you are probably search- of welfare". He maintained that he, election is no different. I'm cam- ing quite often for information himself, had been "threatened and paigning just as hard as in any pre- about maintaining your home or thrown out" in the course of his per- vious campaign." about purchasing, using or dispos- sonal efforts to investigate welfare Looking relaxed and confident, Mr. ing of some household item or abuses. Greenberg addressed about 80 members service. and guests of the Ottawa South Com- "I'm against the able-bodied The best information usually munity Association at an all-candi- being on welfare," said Mr. Sammon. comes from experience, and what you dates meeting recently, saying he He charged that he knew of some are looking for is often something saw five major issues in the current social workers themselves drawing which your neighbor already knows, campaign: municipal financing and mother's allowance and welfare. having recently learned from ex- changing the basic taxtion structure; Conceding that it was a touchy perience himself. An information relations with federal government; subject, he added, "there's a heck pool might be useful, for example, unemployment; the problem of over- of a lot of them able to work who about such services as plumbing, government; and something he called are collecting welfare." plastering, auto repair, appliance "Ottawa as the nation's capital". A second key issue is Mr. servicing, cleaning, gardening, "My campaign started two years Sammon's concern for senior choosing à doctor or a lawyer or a ago when I was first elected mayor," citizens. He specifically mention- family counsellor and a- number of Mr. Greenberg stated. "I think we've ed his desire to set up an alarm other things - whether do-it- provided good sensible, logical, and call system ih senior citizen homes yourself or otherwise. competent government that compares to enable the elderly to gét help If yau have any ideas or would be favourably with any other government more quickly when needed than the interested in exploring the notion of the past." present whistle system permits. He a little further, I'd like to Mr. Greenberg said he had one also promised if elected to hear from you. My 'phone number is single purpose in running for mayor: partially convert the Tele-Transpo 235-2796. I'll report back to to make Ottawa a better city and a service to a daytime senior citizen OSCAR readers in my next column. great capital. service. There are probably also people In answer to questions from the Also on the subject of trans- in our community who have special audience, Mr. Greenberg assured res-, portation, Mr. Sammon promised expertise in particular matters, idents of Ottawa South that the de- that the question of exiting from and might be willing to share it cison to blow some snow onto pri- the rëar of buses would be looked with it us. vate property this winter to reduce into, alleging that people were snow-removal expenses is not going killed every year walking in front to endanger property. "We've been of buses. blowing snow in this city since 1971. Mr. Sammon advocated full dis- RIDDLE OF THE MINUTE: closure of personal expenditures We're not going to go down and tear Why is a civic election like down your shrubs. We're just looking of all candidates. He also advo- a horse race? for a little extra storage space. We cated a change in the tax structure could have done that little extra bit that would reduce the small business For answer, see page 3. of blowing and not told you about it, bankruptcy rate. but we're not that kind of govern- Mr. Sammon promised an open- ment." door policy in city-hall if With respect to the cleaning up of elected, adding that "a few heads the Rideau River, he stated, "It's will be chopped," which he said he MEAT * GROCERY LTD. going to be a number of years before inteftded to explain when elected. we do it. It's almost impossible to resolve 60 or 80 years of wrongdo- "RED BRAND BEEF OUR SPECIALTY" ing overnight." He emphasised that Two other mayoralty candidates, research has been done and pilot pro- Bill Foster of 419 Bellview in jects remain to be done before any Hazeldean and Alphonse Frederick Daily Fresh Fruit & Vegetables positive action can be taken.