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He has yet to show up for any debates, doesn’t know how much the city’s annual budget is and appears to be unclear about when the election actually is — but that’s not stopping Bernard Couchman from proclaiming he should be the next mayor of Ottawa.
“We need change in this city. I think I have some very positive attributes that I can contribute,” Couchman said Monday during a conversation with the Citizen’s editorial board.
He is one of seven people challenging incumbent Jim Watson.
If he wins, Couchman said he’d focus more on productivity than on photo opps, and pledged the tone at city hall would change drastically.
“It would be a more positive environment, it would be a more adult-focused conversation in terms of realistic expectations,” he said.
On garbage collection, he suggested the city could establish different garbage pickup regimes in different wards to address complaints from some residents who don’t like the shift to biweekly garbage collection and weekly green bin pickup.
On transit, Couchman said he does not support the current council’s plan to extend light rail to the east, west and south, once the first phase is completed in 2018, because the city is in debt and hasn’t secured funding from other levels of government.
“Phase 2 is a great idea if we were in the black, but considering that we’re in the red, I think it’s not a great idea right now, it just doesn’t make sense financially,” he said, adding he’s in favour of using existing rail lines — something challenger Mike Maguire is also championing.
On taxes, Couchman said an election campaign is not a wise time to discuss the issue. “It’s like adding fuel to the fire, I just think there’s a time and place for everything,” he said.
Watson has promised to cap annual property tax increases at two per cent.
And on the amount of the city’s annual budget, well, Couchman had no clue.
“Off the top of my head, I don’t know,” he said, adding voters should still take him seriously because of his combination of background, experience, network and charm. “Not everybody knows everything. It’s important to realize I am only human,” he said.
Couchman also appeared to believe the election was to be held Wednesday — that’s actually the first day of advance voting. Election day is Oct. 27.
The 34-year-old has a varied background. He said he came to Canada from Guyana in 1994, that he graduated from Sir Robert Borden high school and that he studied theology online. He later studied business at a private college in Ottawa and now operates a marketing company, he said.
He also said he is working with — in his capacity as a marketer and communicator — an international research team that is conducting clinical trials for a possible cure for HIV/AIDS.
mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
“We need change in this city. I think I have some very positive attributes that I can contribute,” Couchman said Monday during a conversation with the Citizen’s editorial board.
He is one of seven people challenging incumbent Jim Watson.
If he wins, Couchman said he’d focus more on productivity than on photo opps, and pledged the tone at city hall would change drastically.
“It would be a more positive environment, it would be a more adult-focused conversation in terms of realistic expectations,” he said.
On garbage collection, he suggested the city could establish different garbage pickup regimes in different wards to address complaints from some residents who don’t like the shift to biweekly garbage collection and weekly green bin pickup.
On transit, Couchman said he does not support the current council’s plan to extend light rail to the east, west and south, once the first phase is completed in 2018, because the city is in debt and hasn’t secured funding from other levels of government.
“Phase 2 is a great idea if we were in the black, but considering that we’re in the red, I think it’s not a great idea right now, it just doesn’t make sense financially,” he said, adding he’s in favour of using existing rail lines — something challenger Mike Maguire is also championing.
On taxes, Couchman said an election campaign is not a wise time to discuss the issue. “It’s like adding fuel to the fire, I just think there’s a time and place for everything,” he said.
Watson has promised to cap annual property tax increases at two per cent.
And on the amount of the city’s annual budget, well, Couchman had no clue.
“Off the top of my head, I don’t know,” he said, adding voters should still take him seriously because of his combination of background, experience, network and charm. “Not everybody knows everything. It’s important to realize I am only human,” he said.
Couchman also appeared to believe the election was to be held Wednesday — that’s actually the first day of advance voting. Election day is Oct. 27.
The 34-year-old has a varied background. He said he came to Canada from Guyana in 1994, that he graduated from Sir Robert Borden high school and that he studied theology online. He later studied business at a private college in Ottawa and now operates a marketing company, he said.
He also said he is working with — in his capacity as a marketer and communicator — an international research team that is conducting clinical trials for a possible cure for HIV/AIDS.
mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
