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Dear friends:
It is with regret that I must inform you that I will
be withdrawing my candidacy for Mayor of Ottawa.
With 8 weeks to go to election day it has become
clear to me that I do not have the resources to
mount a competitive campaign for the mayoralty.
While I believe I have the vision and ideas to
provide a progressive choice for the electors of
Ottawa, to be able to present these ideas to the
electorate in a city of 900,000 residents requires a
campaign budget of at least $100,000 for brochures,
ads, signs, etc. Unfortunately to date, despite your
support (for which I am grateful), my campaign has
not succeeded in raising this amount and is unlikely
to do so in the 8 weeks remaining in this campaign.
This has led me to make this difficult decision to
withdraw my candidacy for Mayor.
This will leave my campaign for Mayor with a small
deficit, which I will take responsibility for.
However, I have further news for you.
Over the past few weeks I have been approached by a
number of residents in Bay Ward expressing regret
over my impending departure as Councillor for Bay
Ward and asking me to re- consider. Further, there
are outstanding issues in Bay Ward – in Britannia
and in Bayshore – that I have been involved with and
would like to see completed. As well, from a City
perspective there is the need to see the City’s
Rapid Transit Plan (a plan I strongly believe in)
come to fruition. And then there is the entry of
Terry Kilrea as a candidate for Bay Ward – someone,
in my view, who does not represent the values of the
majority of residents of Bay Ward. All this has
convinced me to seek re-election as Councillor for
Bay Ward. In this way, the values and ideas that I
hoped to present as Mayor will still find their way
to City Council.
Again, I would like to express my appreciation for
the support you have given me as candidate for
Mayor. I can tell you that making the decision to
withdraw my candidacy was not an easy one, but I
hope you will understand my reluctance to incur
large personal debt in these circumstances. Thank
you again for your support of the democratic
process.
Yours truly,
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