There will be 17 names on the ballot when residents of Rideau-Rockcliffe head to the polls on April 15 — for the second time in six months — to vote for who they want to represent them at Ottawa city hall.
The Rideau-Rockcliffe seat at the council table has been vacant since late January, when former ward councillor Tobi Nussbaum resigned barely two months into his second term to become the CEO of the National Capital Commission.
Because it was still early in the term, city councillors chose to fork over the cash for a byelection in Rideau-Rockcliffe instead of appointing a replacement. The byelection is expected to cost the City of Ottawa almost $330,000.
The deadline to sign up for or withdraw from the race in the ward, just east of the downtown core, was 2 p.m. on Friday. A total of 17 candidates submitted their nomination papers by that time, the city confirmed later in the afternoon.
Among the candidates on the crowded ballot is Peter Heyck, who ran against Nussbaum in October’s municipal election. Nussbaum handily defeated his only rival with 80.5 per cent of the votes cast in that election.
Here’s the full list of candidates vying for the empty Rideau-Rockcliffe seat, in alphabetical order by last name:
- Kasia Adamiec
- Idris Ben-Tahir
- Marc Dorgeville
- Bruce Faulkner
- Johan Hamels
- Peter Heyck
- Miklos Horvath
- Peter Karwacki
- Rawlson King
- Jerry Kovacs
- Jamie Kwong
- Maurice Lamirande
- Patrick Mayangi
- Oriana Ngabirano
- Chris Penton
- Sheila Perry
- Penny Thompson
Advance voting for the byelection is scheduled for April 5.
“It’s a relatively quick period but I think that’s important,” Mayor Jim Watson said of the byelection timeline on Jan. 30. “We want to get the person in the seat as quickly as possible so residents of Rideau-Rockcliffe have a voice around the table.”
Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury and Alta Vista Coun. Jean Cloutier are handling Rideau-Rockcliffe ward issues until a new councillor is sworn in.
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