politics

We posted about Mayor Larry’s blog on May 17 when it was brand new. After three weeks of reading the blog, we’re underwhelmed. So far it’s mostly press releases, and the tone is impersonal – at least it doesn’t “sound” like something Larry would write. ...

Funny post today from Derek Puddicombe on the Ottaw Sun’s “Sun and The City” blog. An excerpt: ** ** Never in my almost dozen or so years of doing this job have I ever had a reaction to a word or phrase I've used in a story. ...

Earlier this week, the City of Ottawa launched a new Application Development Search to “provide the community with convenient access to identify, investigate and make comments on applications within the development process.” Ottawa blogger Chris Taggart says the service is a big step forward, but offers these suggestions to the city to improve it: ...

Mayor Larry O’Brien has a new blog . Says Larry: Here you will find my story about growing up in a city that is as varied and as wonderful as the people who live here. Sometimes I get asked the question “Did you grow up in Ottawa? ...

Interesting reading today on Bob LeDrew’s FlakLife blog: " Ottawa’s mayor offers a clinic in how NOT to do media " Bob recaps all of the mayor’s blunders since being elected in 2006, including his latest mix-up with the media over some comments his son made on a local blog. ...

[ ](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/nepeancityhall.jpg) We’re hearing rumours today about a splinter group on Ottawa City Council that wants to de-amalgamate Nepean from the City of Ottawa. The group says growing displeasure from Barrhaven residents is fuelling the movement – they’ve even drafted plans for a new Nepean City Hall, to be located off Jockvale Road. ...

** Zoom has a post on knitnut.net titled " Mayor Larry’s Snow Job “: ** A snow tax! Can you believe it? As if we haven’t suffered enough this winter. Talk about adding insult to injury. I only heard about it a few minutes ago, but right off the top of my head, I have three problems with Mayor Larry’s proposed $50 per household snow tax. ...

[ ](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/41Ivrjp7G3L._AA240_.jpg) Just finished reading Scott Gardiner’s King John of Canada. Set in the not-too-distant future, Gardiner tells the story about how Canada chooses a home-grown monarch to fix the country. It’s a really fun read. King John solves all of the country’s big problems – Quebec separatists, Aboriginal issues, Canada-U. ...

Does anybody remember Robert Larter? He’s the guy who ran for mayor in 2006, but made himself totally unavailable to any media covering the election (We blogged about him last October.) Amazingly, he ended up with 667 total votes. ...

* What a boring [ election ](http://ottawastart.com/election_ontario.php) - at least in Ottawa. * All the incumbents got back in: Norm Sterling, Lisa MacLeod, Phil McNeely, Dalton McGuinty, Madeleine Meilleur & Jim Watson. * The only "new guy" is Yasir Naqvi, a Liberal in Ottawa Centre. ...