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| Jim Watson |
Former Ottawa Mayor and television personality Jim Watson has confirmed he will seek the Liberal nomination for Ottawa West, pitting him against Tory MPP Garry Guzzo.
In an interview with the Ottawa Business Journal on Tuesday, Watson said he has been approached by many community activists who want him to run against Premier Ernie Eves and the Conservative government.
"They wanted someone who would be able to defeat the Conservative government," he said, adding that Eves and his colleagues have been lurching from crisis to crisis — hydro rates, health care and education, to name a few.
The 41-year-old Watson was elected to Ottawa city council in 1991 and became mayor in 1997. In 2000, he left municipal politics to become president of the Canadian Tourism Commission. Last fall he gave up that federal job and became the host of the new noon-hour program on local CHUM station the NewRO.
Watson has never held a political membership for any party, but observers have traditionally slotted him in the Conservative camp.
For his part, Watson said Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty's policies are more attractive to him right now. For example, McGuinty would cancel tax write-offs for parents sending their children to private schools and he would cut out partisan advertising.
Always ready with a colourful quote, Watson said he has seen more television commercials for the provincial Tories lately than for Coca-Cola.
There are several issues specific to his riding that Watson would like to tackle, including school closures, protecting the Ottawa River and protecting seniors' rights. (Ottawa West has the highest per capita population of seniors in Ontario, he points out.)
He expects the nomination meeting will be held shortly. He will compete against former Nepean councillor Lee Farnworth.
Watson's last day at the NewRO is April 29. He already has a campaign office set up. His nomination campaign team will be headed by former Nepean Mayor Mary Pitt, west-end businessperson Brian McGarry and community activist Barb Lajeunesse.
