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Still, there can be little doubt of the mayor’s steadying hand. The most recent example came in the immediate aftermath of the devastating tornadoes that hammered Ottawa last month. How quickly the city and its partner agencies responded was a function of calm, competent political leadership. Mostly the leadership of Jim Watson.

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Nevertheless, Ottawa voters don’t automatically need to choose mini-Watsons to represent their wards. A frequent criticism of the outgoing council was that it was sometimes too beholden to His Worship. It could benefit from more diverse, independent thinkers.

Here’s what they should be thinking about:

• Future transit. While light rail is the rage right now, the day of the driverless car is close at hand. The cycling community is steadily demanding more respect. Our aging population needs better ways to move around. And while mayoral candidate Doucet never provided much detail about his regional rail plan, the next council should discuss his broad ideas – hopefully before the Prince of Wales bridge rusts away.

• Innovative development. Infill is an issue, tall buildings are an issue, suburban sprawl is an issue. Ottawa needs fresher, greener ways to build our city, whether these entail inclusionary zoning, or better integrating community design plans or prying open the lid of secrecy on LeBreton Flats. Our urban future can be better than “more of the same.”

• Health and public safety. Throughout the city, traffic speeds have raised growing concern; crime in some sectors is more worrisome; we still must figure out how to regulate cannabis locally. The need to find affordable housing for the homeless, or help injection drug users, grows more urgent by the day.