"Smart, consensus builder" James O'Grady receives endorsement from Ottawa Life magazine
Ottawa, Sept. 6 - James O'Grady, registered candidate for Ward 9: Knoxdale-Merivale, has received the endorsement of Ottawa Life magazine for City Councilor.
Calling O'Grady "smart, [and a] consensus builder," the magazine named O'Grady as Knoxdale-Merivale’s candidate that "can save Ottawa from the 'paralysis of partisanship'."
Ottawa Life cited O'Grady's emphasis on citizen involvement in city planning and ability to rally communities as reasons for their endorsement.
"I would like to thank Ottawa Life for recognizing the strength of the ideas behind our campaign,” O'Grady said.
“I hope to take the honour of being recognized as Knoxdale-Merivale's best candidate and put that reputation to work at City Hall in October.”
O'Grady's campaign centres around engaging communities in local decisions and creating a culture of collaboration at City Hall.
A proponent of borough councils in Ottawa, O'Grady believes the recent dysfunction at City Hall is an indication of Ottawa’s diverse communities not being properly consulted.
“A 'one-size-fits-all' approach hasn't worked. The centralization of administrative and operational functions at Ottawa City Hall, brought about by amalgamation, is the main cause of the dissatisfaction and disconnect many residents are currently experiencing," O'Grady said.
Creating borough councils will help individual communities participate in the decisions of local issues that affect them while allowing City Council to deal with citywide issues, O’Grady said.
James O’Grady is a schoolteacher and communication specialist who was born and raised in Nepean.
As a community leader, O'Grady helped organize the ‘Stop Shoppers’ campaign in the Spring of 2009 that garnered strong support from residents living in the communities of Craig Henry and Trend-
Arlington.
He is currently serving as Vice President and Membership Coordinator for the Trend-Arlington Community Association.
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