As Monday’s election nears, mayoral candidates are making their final pitch to voters, and reflecting on the campaign.
While candidates occasionally lashed out at each other — and Mayor Larry O’Brien’s campaign was criticized for automated phone messages attacking opponents — Caroline Andrews, a political science professor at the University of Ottawa, rates the level of nastiness about average.
“I don’t think it was a very personalized campaign, but I thought it would actually be even less so than it was, she said.
“I was a little surprised that they did as much attacking of each other as they did.”
“I’ve always run my campaign on ideas and what I hope to do,” said Clive Doucet. “And I haven’t had much mud slung in my direction, so it’s been fine for me.”
Jim Watson was less happy with the tone of some campaigns.
“I was disappointed when a couple of the candidates started to go quite negative in the last couple of weeks. I’m certainly picking up at the door that that’s backfiring on them. People get turned off by negativity,” he said.
Mayor O’Brien, for one, was unapologetic.
“Remember, Jim has been spending the last two years badmouthing me,” he said.
“It was really negative all along, so it’s a little rich when he starts getting a few hits back and starts to whine like a little girl. What I would like to say to him is, ‘Suck it up, princess.’”
