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(Posted
10:30 a.m., Sept. 28)
Former Rainer Bloess assistant vies for Innes Ward seat
By Wade Morris
OrleansOnline.ca
Municipal
election candidate Donna Leith-Gudbranson hopes she can
represent Innes Ward during the next four years.
The
Chapel Hill South resident is fluently bilingual, and
has been actively involved in the community for the better
part of 25 years.
Although
this is her first time running for city council, Leith-Gudbranson
is no stranger to City Hall. In 2003, she chaired the
campaign to reelect former Innes Ward councilor Rainer
Bloess.
After
the election, Leith-Gudbranson worked in Bloess' office
for six years, dealing mostly with resident issues and
policy planning.
The
popular former city councillor not only encouraged Leith-Gudbranson
to run, he endorsed her campaign and has joined her on
the hustings.
Prior
to her registering for the election, Leith-Gudbranson
worked in Beacon Hill, Cyrville councillor Tim Tierney's
office.
"When
I went back to City Hall to work for Tim, I realized how
much I missed the place,� says Leith-Gudbranson. "I see
this as an opportunity to give back to my community.�
Leith-Gudbranson
has a particular interest in economic development. If
she were to get elected, she wants to organize a summit
involving residents, stakeholders and local politicians
with the goal of improving economic development opportunities
in the east end.
"There's
an incredible window of opportunity over the next 10 to
15 years to turn Orléans into a vibrant, thriving destination,�
Leith-Gudbranson says.
During
the Oct. 6 debate between Innes Ward candidates, she described
Phase 2 of LRT as "an excellent opportunity for St. Joseph
Boulevard to be developed.�
"The
two projects should go hand in hand,� says Leith-Gudbranson.
"The LRT will make it easier for people to get to and
from St. Joseph Blvd. We need to explore ways to revitalize
and enhance the Main Street of Orléans as a commercial
and retail destination.�
Leith-Gudbranson's
platform includes organizing an annual youth forum and
championing expansion of community programming for seniors.
She also supports implementing additional traffic calming
measures, where warranted, in the ward, and she wants
to follow up on plans to expand the Blackburn Arena.
Leith-Gudbranson
is lined up with the other three candidates running in
the ward in supporting a proposal to extend Brian Coburn
Blvd. to Anderson Road � something Bradley Estate residents
have been pushing for since the last election.
Outgoing
Innes Ward councillor, Jody Mitic, was able to get the
proposed extension included in an Environmental Assessment
of potential road improvements in the area last year.
Leith-Gudbranson
has held several positions in community organizations.
She served as president of the Chapel Hill South Community
Association for three years, and was vice-president for
seven years prior to that. She was the president of the
school council at L'�cole �l�mentaire publique Le Pr�lude
in Chapel Hill South for 10 years. She also held a position
on the board of directors of the Friends of Mer Bleue,
an organization supporting environmental issues surrounding
the Mer Bleue Bog.
In
2009, Leith-Gudbranson began working in the University
of Ottawa's Department of Family Medicine. She was the
regional co-chair of the fundraising committee for Canadian
Blood Services' National Public Cord Blood Bank between
2013 and 2016.
Leith-Gudbranson
and her husband Wayne have four children Erik (26), Alex
(23), Dennis (20) and Chantal (18). Dennis is a cancer
survivor, having received a stem cell transplant in 2005
at the age of eight. It was that experience and the heart-warming
way in which the community came to the family's support
that is one of the motivating factors in her wanting to
serve on city council.
"The
Orléans community has given so much to my family, in so
many ways: education, sports and community care when one
of my sons was critically ill. With my adult children
off successfully pursuing and living their own dreams,
it is now time to give back,� says Leith-Gudbranson.
The
other three candidates running for city council in Innes
Ward are Laura Dudas, Fran�ois Tr�panier and Tammy Lynch.
Ottawa residents will head to the polls on Oct. 22. Advance
polls will be held from Oct. 4-7 and on Oct. 12.
(This story
was made possible thanks to the generous support of our
local business partners.)
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