Hibou's Craig pops a question

 

Are you looking for Horizon Ottawa’s support?

Not particularly. They align with my platform but I will not pander to them.

Any beefs with Rawlson King’s voting record?

Kings pandering is annoying. He voted against sidewalks.

The big issue? Trucks downtown. He is strangely against the east end crossing proposal. I am a proponent.

There are other matters.

King is largely ineffective on council. His biggest asset apparently is that he is a black person.

  I am white so that is awkward.

..but I am not going to shy away from that.

Any thoughts on who’d make the best mayor?

Neil is my guy.

Regarding Horizon Ottawa

It is a progressive, municipal-focused grassroots organization (and incorporated not-for-profit) dedicated to advocating for socially and economically progressive policies at the City of Ottawa level.

I certainly cannot argue about that

Its stated mission is “to cultivate local solidarity around socially and economically progressive priorities so that Ottawa can become a city where everyone can thrive.” 

This is uncontestable.

In practice, the “point” of the group is to build community power, influence local elections and decision-making, and push the city toward priorities such as:

Stronger public transit (e.g., major bus fleet expansion campaigns demanding service levels based on population growth rather than current ridership).

Affordable and inclusive housing / “better urbanism” (increased density, walkability, mixed-use development, fighting urban sprawl).

Environmental protection and climate action, with emphasis on the needs of marginalized communities.

Greater public ownership/control of infrastructure and services (opposing privatization trends).

Reducing developer influence at City Hall.

Inclusion, equity, anti-oppression work, and meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

More democratic and transparent municipal decision-making (less centralized power in the mayor’s office and senior bureaucracy).

If you check my blog I am in alignment.  

Horizon Ottawa pursues this through petitions, public campaigns, research/analysis, community events, and acting as a registered third-party advertiser in municipal elections (endorsing candidates they view as aligned with their values). 

This endorsement will likely just go to King. Why? Incumbents are favoured.

They have a detailed “Basis of Unity” document that outlines their core principles, including grassroots organizing, environmentalism, decolonization, inclusive urbanism, public ownership, and working with labour and social movements. 

Horizon Ottawa exists as an activist / advocacy group on the progressive/left side of Ottawa municipal politics, aiming to shift city policy and council composition toward outcomes they believe will make the city work better for ordinary residents rather than developers or entrenched interests. 

It has been active in recent election cycles and continues to run issue-based campaigns (transit, development, etc.).

My problem is not so much the "what" of Horizon Ottawa but the "how" . King's current methods are based on re election pandering and not what is best for the city.

A note about Bell"s Corners blog

Craig McCauley (online handles: Le Hibou / ottawaowl) runs the bellscorners WordPress blog (bellscorners.wordpress.com).He is a retired school teacher, longtime Bells Corners (Ottawa) resident, grassroots community activist, and local political figure who has run as a fringe/independent candidate in Ottawa municipal elections (including Ward 8 in 2014 and at least one mayoral race). The blog serves as a community news and views site focused on Bells Corners issues, and he also operates a free bike-taxi service there.On the blog, he posts and comments under the display name/avatar Le Hibou (French for “the owl”) with the username ottawaowl. His contact email on the site is ottawaowl2@yahoo.ca, and he is active on social media as

@ottawaowl

(including X/Twitter, Bluesky at bellscorners.bsky.social, YouTube, and Instagram).Note that “Le Hibou” also historically refers to a famous 1960s–1970s Ottawa coffeehouse/venue on Sussex Drive (unrelated to this blog except for the shared name). The blog itself is a local community outlet, not connected to the historic café.
Craig's ward  rideau-rockcliffe history lesson
https://bellscorners.wordpress.com/rideau-rockcliffe-by-election-apr-15-2019/