It's a Matter of Priorities: Two Files, One Councillor
Disclosure: I'm a candidate in Ward 13 (Rideau-Rockcliffe), challenging Councillor Rawlson King. Every fact below comes from published news coverage, linked at the end. Where I give my own reading, I say so.
A councillor has limited time, limited political capital and one vote among twenty-five. What he chooses to fight for says more about him than any slogan. Two files from this term show where Rawlson King put his effort.
| Lansdowne 2.0 | Manor Park sidewalks | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | A citywide project in another ward | His own ward |
| The money | $419M plan approved by council | $180,000 inside a $13.9M road, water and sewer project |
| What the coverage shows him doing | Voting No, both times | Delaying for about ten months, then moving motions at committee and at council |
| Outcome | Lost 17–7 and 16–9 | Lost 7–5 at committee and 16–7 at council |
Lansdowne: a No vote, twice
King opposed Lansdowne 2.0 when it came to council. In the previous term, council voted 17 to 7 to proceed with the $332 million plan, and King was among the seven. In November 2023, council approved the $419 million plan 16 to 9, and he was again among those opposed.
That is a legitimate position, and many residents shared his worries about the debt. He deserves credit for voting it consistently. But a vote is one act. In the coverage I reviewed, his Lansdowne record is a pair of votes. I found no reporting of motions he moved or amendments he led. If he has a record of that kind, I'd like to see it and I'll add it here.
Manor Park: a campaign
On sidewalks, the coverage shows a sustained effort over many months.
- June 2025Staff bring forward a plan for sidewalks on four quiet streets, which needed the area councillor's consent to proceed without a council vote. King gets it deferred until September.
- September 2025King announces in a newsletter that sidewalks will be deferred for further study. Three residents' lawyer calls the deferral unlawful, arguing a councillor can't direct staff to defer on his own.
- Winter 2026The decision is pushed back again, to February 2026. King and staff disagree about how long a deferral should run, so the issue goes to committee.
- End of March 2026At the public works committee, his motion to defer loses 7 to 5.
- April 8, 2026At council, he moves to remove sidewalks from sections of Arundel and Kilbarry, and it loses 16 to 7. Mayor Sutcliffe supported his motion.
King's stated reason is about order of work. He told council the question had always been “sequencing and prioritization,” and that traffic needs hadn't been studied enough. Some residents made a similar case: the streets are quiet, and sidewalks are needed more near the school and on busier roads. That deserves a fair hearing.
But the money tells the other side. Staff said doing the work with the road project cost $180,000, against more than $500,000 as a stand-alone job. Councillor Leiper warned that the chance to add sidewalks during a street rebuild comes around perhaps once in 70 to 90 years. Each deferral risked losing the cheap window. And the families who wanted safe walking routes to Manor Park Public School, the park and the community centre were the ones waiting.
My read. The pattern looks like priorities, and I think it also looks like protecting support in Manor Park. I can't show his motive and I won't claim to. What the record does show is a councillor who used every tool he had, for about ten months, to slow a $180,000 item in his own ward, and who left a nine-figure commitment to a vote.
What I'm not claiming
I'm not saying he was silent on Lansdowne. I'm saying the news record shows votes there and a sustained effort on sidewalks, and I'd like him to explain the difference. I'm also not saying his Manor Park position was without merit although I disagree with it. I'm saying that when council, and the mayor on his final motion, had the same information, he lost by a wide margin, and the cost of the delay fell on residents who asked for the sidewalks.
The questions for voters
- Where should a councillor spend his effort: on a $180,000 line item in his ward, or on a decision that commits the city to hundreds of millions?
- When residents in his ward are divided, whose view does he carry to council, and how does he explain the choice to the others?
- When he loses a vote by a wide margin, does he adapt the plan or keep delaying it?
Ottawa votes on October 26. The votes are on the public record. The priorities are for you to judge.
Sources
- CTV News Ottawa, Here's how city councillors voted on Lansdowne 2.0 (17–7 vote).
- CTV News Ottawa, Council approves $419 million Lansdowne 2.0 plan (16–9 vote).
- CTV News Ottawa, Sidewalks to be built on some residential streets in Ottawa's Manor Park (committee vote, project budget).
- CBC News, Manor Park braces for next round in sidewalk fight (deferral history, cost comparison).
- CBC News, Manor Park sidewalks to go ahead after council vote (April 8, 2026 council vote).
- Manor Park Chronicle, Sidewalks decision pushed back.
- Ottawa Citizen via Yahoo News Canada, Three Manor Park residents demand the city build sidewalks in lawyer letter.
No comments:
Post a Comment