Running for Mayor of Ottawa: Matthew Florey on Thinking

It’s still early days, and there will be no announcement from me in 2021He said during an interview with Radio Canada just over 24 hours after Mayor Jim Watson announced that he had chosen not to seek a new mandate.

Matthew Fleury also said he was surprised to find out that three people had quickly shown an interest in succeeding Jim Watson.

The city councilman admitted he was not surprised to learn that the mayor would be leaving politics next fall.

I was elected 11 years ago at the same time I was elected. You’ve seen it, the past few months have been very difficult. I saw someone I didn’t know, said the person elected at the age of 25, in 2010, finish line George Bedard, by 88 votes.

Sometimes we reach a point in our life where we move [et c’est le cas de Jim Watson]Matteo Florey added.

loyal man

Over the past decade, the two men have had quarrels at times, but that doesn’t change the respect Matthew Florey has for Jim Watson.

He was loyal [envers] City of Ottawa. I saw his passion, accessibility, and availability for the national capital.

« It must be admitted: He gave himself body and soul in his role. »

Before Mayor Watson was elected, It was messy In Ottawa City Hall, the newcomer hastened to raise the level.

Mayor [Larry O’Brien] Not liked, it caused squabbles and confusion over some important issues. We saw Jim [Watson], the leader who tried to achieve solidity and clarity. He contributed to many infrastructure projects that marked the years.

Over the years, Jim Watson (left) has been steadily on the ground impressing other elected officials (archive).

Photo: The Canadian Press / Canadian Press / Justin Tang

Mathieu Fleuri also wanted to take his hat off due to the importance he attached to the French language. I have no criticism of him in this regard. There were issues, we discussed them and moved on, summed up.

In passing, admit that there is a file barbed, in 2017, in this case the recognition of Ottawa as an officially bilingual city. “We were not able to combine the two teams,” he added [du conseil municipal], so we used a regional mechanism to get there,” Franco-Ontario recalls.

With information from Marie Jane Dubereuil