Here's what the candidates had to say in our 2022 municipal election survey
Incumbent: Rawlson King
Candidates running: Rawlson King, Clayton Fitzsimmons, Peter Jan Karwacki and Peter Zanette
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Where is ward 13?
SURVEY RESULTS
Do you reside within this ward?
Rawlson King: Yes
Clayton Fitzsimmons: Did not participate
Peter Jan Karwacki: Yes
Peter Zanette: Did not participate
Why do you think you’re the best person to represent your ward?
Rawlson King: “I’m an experienced, results-based community leader who has lived in Rideau-Rockcliffe for nearly 20 years. As a new city councillor, I secured a citywide poverty reduction strategy, a food security policy and an anti-racism strategy. For the ward, I secured multi-million-dollar investments in infrastructure, affordable housing and parks during the 2019-2022 term.”
Clayton Fitzsimmons: Did not participate
Peter Jan Karwacki: “The job requires line-by-line analysis, business analytics, peer group comparisons, examination of outliers, and rigorous examination. Not all the well-meaning candidates have the chops to do this, but this is what the city needs now — not blow-hard, ‘we need to do something!’ Only cold hard fact-finding and examination will do. It won’t get you good Twitter or Facebook likes.”
Peter Zanette: Did not participate
What is the most important issue in your ward? Why?
Rawlson King: “The number one challenge facing the ward is affordability. As residents struggle with runaway inflation and increased cost of living, we will need to make more investments and employ new innovative practices, policies and strategies to rapidly address the housing affordability crisis and build new homes geared to both moderate-income and vulnerable communities. We will also need to address transit affordability through fare freezes to encourage more ridership since Ottawa residents pay some of the highest fares in North America. The city must also work to expand affordable recreational opportunities for youth, families and seniors.”
Clayton Fitzsimmons: Did not participate
Peter Jan Karwacki: “The current vote split: suburban/urban sidelines urban councillors. They are all reasonable people but are spinning their wheels without support at the council table if they lose every single matter of consequence or are not appointed to key committees”
Peter Zanette: Did not participate
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What is the most important issue citywide?
Rawlson King: “The most important citywide issue is transit reliability. Council will need to restore trust and confidence in the system by ultimately implementing recommendations from the LRT inquiry and through the pursuit of legal remedies with the current LRT consortium. We will need more bus operators, better bus frequency with greater interconnection to LRT stations and an enhanced electric bus fleet to meet emission reduction goals and deal with the climate change threat. The next council will also have to make tough decisions, because we have a system designed to transport people downtown, and with hybrid work, people have not returned”
Clayton Fitzsimmons: Did not participate
Peter Jan Karwacki: “The financial situation is the problem. We spend 20 per cent of the budget on transit and the transit system is widely recognized as being inadequate”
Peter Zanette: Did not participate
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