Former NDP candidate to run for council seat

Emilie Taman, a community association president and former NDP candidate, says she’ll run in the next municipal election to represent Capital ward on Ottawa city council.

Taman, who lives in Old Ottawa South, said she believes there needs to be “new energy” at city hall.

David Chernushenko, who has represented Capital ward since 2010, said he’s leaning toward seeking re-election. He welcomed Taman’s candidacy.

“It’s good to be challenged,” Chernushenko said.

In the 2014 municipal election, Chernushenko won 77 per cent of the ward vote in a three-man race.

Nominations for the October municipal election don’t open until May, but Taman said she announced her intentions on Monday so she can start talking with voters about priorities in Capital ward. “This is not about (Chernushenko) per se,” Taman said. “I think it’s a need for strong advocacy at city hall.”

Taman, a former federal prosecutor who’s currently teaching in the law faculty at the University of Ottawa, ran for the NDP in the 2017 federal byelection in OttawaVanier. She lost to Liberal Mona Fortier.

When it comes to her municipal election campaign, Taman said her platform will be about “public accountability, increased public engagement in planning and development, evidenced-based decision-making in public health and strengthening environmental sustainability across city projects.”

Capital ward also includes Heron Park, Riverside, Old Ottawa East and the Glebe.

The municipal election is on Oct. 22.