Marty Carr wins her second term in Alta Vista

Re-elected city councillor Marty Carr with her family in front of The Black Pug, where Carr had her watch party on Oct. 26. She was joined by her son’s partner Alicia Cuadra, her daughter Molly McPherson, her husband Christian McPherson, and her son Henry McPherson, from left to right. [Photo: Georgia Looman/Special to the Citizen]

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Incumbent Marty Carr will once again represent Ward 18 at Ottawa City Council.

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Carr, a community activist and former president of the Alta Vista Community Association, won by 67 per cent of the vote, an improvement over her 2022 win with 47 per cent of the vote.

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Carr celebrated with supporters at The Black Pug in Alta Vista, a cozy, dimly lit space packed with excited chatter.

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Election coverage was displayed on a big screen at the back of the pub, and attendees watched in anticipation.

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Around 9 p.m., Carr won with 6,042 votes, besting Derek McSweeney with 1,391 votes, Elsa Niyongabo with 876 votes, and Tressy El-Hawi with 611 votes.

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The bar erupted in cheers and claps when the results were announced, and Carr was surrounded in her booth with congratulations. In a speech, she thanked attendees, family and staff for their presence and support.

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“I feel very honoured to represent Alta Vista again,” Carr said.

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Carr’s platform continued to build on the themes that won her the 2022 election, which included improved public transit, traffic calming measures, and expanding Alta Vista’s tree canopy.

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Her 2026 platform included developing a resiliency plan for climate events, redevelopment of at least one legacy field house, increasing funding for road renewals, and improving services and programming for seniors and youth.

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“We’ve got teenagers all the way to senior citizens who helped me out with this, so it’s been it’s been fantastic,” Carr said. “I think the people that stood by me and supported me are really representative of the ward.”

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Supporter and Ward 18 resident Will Davie, who said he put up 70 per cent of Carr’s signs in her ward was very happy. He thinks Carr’s win is “one of the best things” for the ward.

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“There was definitely a little bit of anxiety in the air as we were awaiting results, but once results started coming in, all of our positive messaging was shown to come true,” Davie said. “And here we are, with Marty stuck with all of us, and us stuck with Marty for another four years.”

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When asked about the first thing she wants to do once she wins, Marty teared up and said she wants to go home and see her mom, who she said has been sick for the past four years.

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“And then I’ll figure everything out after that,” Carr said.

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See more Ottawa municipal election results

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(Please check back for updates)

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