OTTAWA—Businessman Larry O'Brien won the seat of Ottawa Mayor during this week's municipal elections in Ontario. Initially, there was a three-way race between incumbent mayor Bob Chiarelli, former councillor Alex Munter, and newcomer Larry O'Brien.
As Chairman of Calian Technologies Ltd. O'Brien's win was a bit of a surprise to detractors who felt that his lack of political experience would be a hindrance. But that didn't seem to bother the 47 percent of voters who elected him to the job. At Monday night's victory party, O'Brien offered his take on his election: "The city is not a business, but they want it to start being run like a business."
Munter received 36 percent of votes and Chiarelli 16 percent.
Voters turned out in record numbers this year with 60 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots—up from just 30 percent in the 2003 municipal elections.
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