Mayoral candidate Alex Cullen is calling for a municipal lobbyist registry. The Bay Ward councillor said representatives from the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, Waste Management and Ashcroft Homes have all visited councillors in the last few weeks.
Lobbying is a normal part of doing business at city hall, but Cullen said a registry would let the public know who is being lobbied, who is doing the lobbying and for whom.
“Whether it’s a community association, Minto, or the Sierra Club, or Waste Management people should know who is talking to their elected representatives,” said Cullen.
The registry would require organizations to register and log their meetings with councillors.
The list would be published regularly.
Cullen spoke to the Rotary Club of Nepean-Kanata Thursday about the lobby registry and his vision for the city if he were elected mayor. Though he’s been active as a councillor, this is one of his first engagements in the mayoral campaign. Cullen said he plans to re-launch his campaign in May, but with six months to go, it’s still early in the race.
