Rural ward West Carleton–March re-elects incumbent Clarke Kelly

Coun. Clarke Kelly stands in front of his watch party attendees election night at Kinburn's Covered Bridge Brewery. Photo by Sophia Laporte/Special to the Citizen Photo by Sophia Laporte /Special to the Citizen

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Clark Kelly will keep his seat on Ottawa’s city council, where he promises to continue to make sure West Carleton–March’s “rural voice is never drowned out at City Hall.”

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At Covered Bridge Brewing building in Kinburn, most of Kelly’s supporters are dressed down in flannels and jackets for the October weather.

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Kelly meanwhile sports a navy two-piece suit, poppy on the blazer. He’s had a couple sandwiches from a table of finger foods laid out in front of the bar’s massive metal fermenters, some meatballs and a dirty blonde from the brewery. “A local beer!” Kelly said.

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The councillor wasn’t worried about his chances. “I feel confident I’m going to be the winner,” he said before polls closed.

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And he was right to be positive. Kelly took the win just before 10:00 p.m. with 5,239 votes, 2,144 more than his challenger Christine Harrison. Her opposition came with hefty endorsements from former West Carleton–March councillor Eli El-Chantiry and neighbouring coun. David Brown (Rideau–Jockvale).

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“I don’t care what anyone tells you happened this term of council, we made a huge difference for rural Ottawa and we’re going to continue that work this term of council,” Kelly said in his 20-minute victory speech.

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Kelly said he was proud of how often he was able to bring rural issues to city council over the last four years, including bringing back the rural summit.

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“I’m just glowing,” said Murray Kelly, the councillor’s father, who said he knew everyone in the room at the Kinburn watch party. “My wife, his mother, died seven years ago. And this is why he went out there. Every day at five o’clock he would call her when he worked on the Hill and they would talk politics.”

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Murray said when the councillor’s mother passed away, he quietly filed his application to run.

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“He didn’t think he was going to win, I don’t think. But he had a natural talent. But I’m so proud of him. He’s really a good man. He works so hard,” Murray said.

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Anticipation remained steady despite the positivity in the brewery until the results were confirmed. Kelly spoke without a microphone to the intimate room, keeping rapt attention for a 20-minute speech interrupted only twice by his four-year-old daughter Heather-Lina, who dashed up to give him a hug.

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“And the rural wards, West Carleton–March being the biggest one of them… we don’t function the same as the Glebe, as Kanata… or any other ward, even the other rural ones,” Kelly said. “We are our own thing and our own species out here, for lack of a better term. We do things differently.”

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Kelly teared up during his speech, thanking his family, local supporters and businesses as well as his campaign team – including newly elected Arnprior mayor, Lisa McGee who Kelly said helps “the Ward 5 office run.”

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“We do things differently. And that’s apparent everywhere I go in this ward, no matter what is happening, if it’s a flood, if it’s a tornado, people come together. They have conversations with each other,” Kelly said. “I’ve been just part of that ride over the last four years. But seeing how people step up for one another… inspires me every single goddamn day that I go out into this community.”