James O’Grady kicks off campaign for Knoxdale-Merivale council seat

NEPEAN, May 28 – James O’Grady, candidate for the Knoxdale-Merivale council seat, is proving out of the gate that he has what it takes to bring the community together. Seven weeks in, his campaign is already demonstrating tremendous momentum thanks to a community-first focus that is attracting supporters from across the ward.

“O’Grady has shown already a tremendous ability to lead and bring people together to work in a collaborative manner. In the first seven weeks his campaign has had more than sixty volunteers put in over 330 hours of volunteer time. With this capacity, his campaign has now reached 24,600 of the 27,000 eligible voters in Ward 9 (91.1%) with its introductory flyer. This is a huge accomplishment.” said David Small, Campaign Manager for the O’Grady Campaign.

The Nepean native is running a campaign based on the need for strong community leadership on City Council, including a mandate emphasizing sustainability – financial, social and environmental. “I’d like to second Jim Watson’s call to run a campaign of ideas”, he said. “Our community-first campaign puts forward a number of ideas on how the City can do a better job of engaging and empowering its residents, starting with those of us living here in Knoxdale-Merivale.”

Some of the key points from O’Grady’s platform demonstrate his commitment to improving fiscal responsibility, accountability and decision making at City Hall. Objectives that will be achieved through community engagement and by creating the opportunity for a two-way dialogue to be established with residents:

• Early engagement of communities and concerned stakeholders in City decision making processes
• Establishing a Ward 9 office in Nepean
• Encouraging community associations in every community in Ward 9
• Establishing a Ward Council advisory board in Ward 9
• Advocating for a Borough Council for Nepean

If elected, O’Grady says he will reengage local residents in municipal government; particularly around the discussion on how to improve life in Nepean. “I am asking the residents of Knoxdale-Merivale to allow me to be the catalyst that reconnects them to their city, because the City can’t reflect its residents if it isn’t actively engaging them in everything it does”, he said.

Residents and media are invited to join James O’Grady on Sunday, June 6, 2010 for his Campaign Kick-off and Community Fun Day, taking place from 1 – 3 p.m. at the Trend-Arlington Community Centre, 50 Bellman Drive, Nepean. More information can be found on www.jamesogrady.ca.

James O’Grady’s roots in the community go back to the 1820’s when his Irish forefathers first settled in Fallowfield. He is the only son of the late Jim O’Grady, Q.C. and Helen (Alexiade) O’Grady. O’Grady’s family moved to Arlington Woods in 1970. He is a graduate of all three public schools on Greenbank Road and is also an alumnus of the Nepean Minor Hockey Association where he played goal for many years.

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Media Contact:

Ben Myers
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w: www.jamesogrady.ca