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(Updated
9:30 a.m., June 13)
Bob Monette announces retirement, will not seek fifth
term afterall
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
In
a surprise move to most City Hall observers, veteran city
councillor Bob Monette will not seek reelection in Orléans
Ward next fall and instead will step down after four terms
in office to focus on his family.
 The
announcement is a dramatic turn of events, coming just
weeks after he had told supporters that he would be seeking
a fifth term.
“In
recent weeks I have been reflecting on the decision to
run for re-election and came to the conclusion that the
time has come to put my family first. It is never easy
to reverse a decision of this kind but it is made easier
knowing that it is the right one,” Monette said in statement
released earlier this morning."
Monette
will remain in office until the new city council is sworn
after the election this fall. In the meantime, he says
he will continue to advance important community projects
and will make himself available to speak with interested
candidates who may be considering entering politics and
serving the constituents of Orléans Ward.
Monette
was first elected to council in a byelection in 2005 after
former Orléans Ward councillor Herb Kreling was
appointed Justice of the Peace.
He
was reelected in the general municipal election a year
later and twice again in 2010 and 2014.
He
played a key role in the creation of the Orléans
Community Garden. He was one of the first councillors
to support the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park and the
return of the CFL to the Nation's Capital. He championed
city council support for the Ottawa Champions baseball
franchise. He fought to ensure Phase 2 of the Ottawa LRT
was extended to Trim Road. And he changed the Official
Plan to create a future employment hub for the community
of Orléans.
In
announcing his retirement, Monette looked back on a long
and successful career with pride and thanked his council
colleagues, both past and present, for helping the east
end achieve so much.
"I
want to thank Mayor Watson, Mayor O'Brien, Mayor Chiarelli,
my council colleagues and those before them for the commitment
to making our City the best in Canada," said Monette.
"I leave politics taking great pride in our collective
accomplishments that in many cases have positively impacted
the development of Orléans, and helped transform major
city-wide landmarks such as Lansdowne Park, and the Ottawa
River Action Plan."
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support
of our local business partners.)
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