Tobi Nussbaum will no longer be the city councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe ward as of Saturday, Jan. 26, the City of Ottawa confirmed Friday, ahead of Nussbaum’s scheduled start as new CEO of the National Capital Commission (NCC) on Feb. 4.
The city clerk and solicitor received Nussbaum’s letter of resignation on Friday, an emailed statement from the city said.
City staff are recommending city council approve a byelection in Rideau-Rockcliffe to replace Nussbaum. A staff report to be considered by city council at their meeting next Wednesday proposes a by-election voting day of April 15, with an advancing voting day on April 5.
Staff estimated a byelection in the ward would cost the city $329,500. The by-election would come only months after Ottawa’s last municipal election, in which Nussbaum had easily won Rideau-Rockcliffe with 80 per cent of the vote.
The alternative to holding a byelection is appointing a new councillor for the ward, but staff pointed out that Nussbaum’s resignation comes “less than two months into the four-year term of council.”
“While a byelection is more expensive and will take slightly longer to complete than appointing a new councillor to fill the vacancy, it would provide residents with an opportunity to have direct input into selecting the person who will serve as their elected representative for most of the 2018-2022 term of council,” the staff report reads.
While it’s likely several councillors will help take care of ward issues in Rideau-Rockcliffe while the councillor’s seat is vacant at city hall, who those individuals will be has not yet been decided.
An update on the matter will provided at council’s meeting on Wednesday, said the city’s statement, attributed to O’Connor.
“I want to thank them for placing their trust in me and for their support and engagement as we worked together on important community and city-wide issues and projects,” he wrote in the statement posted on Twitter.
The NCC is the Crown corporation responsible for the management of federal lands and buildings in the National Capital Region.
Mayor Jim Watson and councillors tweeted photos on Friday of what appeared to be a send-off to mark Nussbaum’s last day on the job at city hall.
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