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SCOTT TAYLOR
OTTAWA SUN
He wasn’t invited to the party, but mayoral hopeful Andy Haydon crashed it anyway.
The former regional chair was conspicuously absent from the list of invitees, but as the eight candidates took their seats, Haydon strode to the small stage in the St. Paul University Laframboise Dining Hall, took a microphone and announced that he was ready to proceed.
And with that, Mayor Larry O’Brien, Jim Watson, Clive Doucet, Mike Maguire, Cesar Bello, Charlie Taylor, Jane Scharf and Robin Lawrance seemed ready to go before Scharf declared she disagreed with the format and left her seat, offering it to Haydon, who said he wished to remain standing.
Candidate Joseph Furtenbacher then rose from the audience and took the seat, though he was asked no questions and offered no insight.
The green-themed debate, organized by Ecology Ottawa, was comprised of seven questions, including those concerning transit, cycling, water and bio-diversity.
O’Brien and Watson hammered each other from the start.
The mayor criticized Watson’s election promise to freeze recreation fees, arts group and community rental fees for the next four years, blaming the McGuinty government — Watson’s former employer — for higher energy costs that have to be recouped.
“This issue is one that has to be very carefully outlined and it’s not all as easy as grabbing headlines,” O’Brien said.
Watson retorted: “When I announced my plan to freeze rates, you said you were going to do the same thing in the Sun (Saturday).”
A little later, Watson said he doesn’t share O’Brien’s vision of a ring road to ease traffic congestion, while Doucet called the idea “a nightmare.”
Shortly after that, O’Brien addressed Watson as “former McGuinty minister Watson,” a moniker he would quickly repeat.
Doucet passionately argued his case for cycling, stating the city needs segregated bike lanes, which drew much applause.
Maguire fielded each question he was asked effortlessly, as did Taylor and Bello.
There was no clear winner, except perhaps Haydon, who proved he belongs in the mix.
scott.taylor@sunmedia.ca
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