Orléans lawyer and community advo-cate Sherif Rizk thinks Ottawa city council should be more transparent and more accountable, especially when it comes to things like the seemingly never-ending delay in the start up of the east end exten-sion of the LRT and the ongoing issues with the LRT trains and OC Transpo scheduling.

“We need more accountability at City Hall and how our money is being spent on public transportation and winter maintenance,” Rizk said during a recent interview with the Orléans Star.

Orléans lawyer Sherif Khan, pictured here with his wife Nardine and their daughter Natalia, has decided to run against Matt Luloff in Ward 1 Orléans North-Cumberland. PHOTO SUPPLIED

As a personal injuries lawyer, Rizk is has firsthand knowledge dealing with clients who have suffered personal injuries on city property due to improper maintenance.

“If things were done on a proactive basis, a lot more could be done to prevent people from getting hurt,” says Rizk, who earned his law degree at the University of Ottawa and passed the bar in 2015.

He initially set up his practice near Innes and Tenth Line Road. He later moved his office to Trim and St. Joseph which is why he is running in Ward 1, despite living in Avalon with his wife and their two young children age five and one.

“My business is in Ward 1 and a lot of my clients live in Ward 1,” says Rizk, who realizes he has his work cut out for him in running against the current two-term incumbent, Matt Luloff.

Besides wanting to give Ward 1 voters a choice in next fall’s municipal election, Rizk believes he represents positive change if given the chance.

“I’ve always had an interest in politics and seeing how the political process can bring about positive change that can impact people in their day to day lives,” says Rizk, who majored in political science during his undergraduate years at the U of O.

As a lawyer, Risk says he can bring his expertise in negotiating settlements to city council.

“I believe problems like what we’re experiencing with the transit system and reliability of the trains can be traced back to when the contract was negotiated,” says Rizk. “I think we need to negotiate something a bit more clear in terms of when things come on line and on time, and we need to hold them to account with financial consequences and consequences period.”

Rizk officially kicked off his campaign during an event on Tuesday and he plans to officially register as a candidate next week.

As far as the election is concerned, Rizk says he wants to run “a good clean ethical campaign and put forward solutions to problems people face and bring people a choice at the ballot box”.

The opening day for prospective candi-dates running for a seat on city council or school trustee is May 1. Municipal elections will take place across Ontario on Monday, Oct. 26..