Ottawa\u0027s new mayor can take lessons from his predecessor\u0027s sometimes polarizing mistakes with city council.
Watson loved Ottawa and Ottawa loved him back, making him arguably the most powerful mayor the city has seen. But over 12 years in office, particularly in his last term, Watson’s style began to rub people the wrong way. The collegiality and camaraderie that characterized his first two terms started to disappear, as he became increasingly intolerant of dissent.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
In asking his colleagues to focus on “diversity and not on division,” Sutcliffe has set the right tone for council. But the proof of the pudding is always in the eating, and we wait to see how it will all turn out. The test of council unity, so loudly proclaimed by Sutcliffe, will come with the appointment of committee chairs. Watson used his power to appoint and reward his allies, most of them from rural and suburban areas. He shut out the inner urban councillors from these leadership positions, turning one group against the other, and sowing the seeds of distrust and division that permeated council. If Sutcliffe wants unity and collaboration, this is where he should start.
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