Mayoral hopefuls make their case at ByWard Market tavern

During an election campaign that’s largely unfolding on social media, it was refreshing to see a handful of candidates rub shoulders in real life with the down-to-earth folks who frequent the Dominion Tavern.

“We’re putting the Dom in democracy,” declared Slo’ Tom, a.k.a. Tom Stewart, a guitar-playing singer-songwriter who’s been a fixture of the Ottawa music scene for decades, and has never been afraid of poking fun at authority.

It was his idea to issue an open invitation to the 14 hopefuls vying to be the next mayor of Ottawa to the Dom during the bar’s regular Wednesday gig, dubbed the Liquid Picnic, and give each one of them a few minutes at the microphone between songs.

The Liquid Picnic is a weekly after-work shindig that features the rollicking Ottawa Valley-inspired tunes of Stewart and his latest group, a trio called the Lockmasters. It generally attracts a colourful cast of regulars, plus a friendly dog named C.C. the Wonder Dog who’s never far from Stewart. Bonus points, too, for the free tubs of unshelled peanuts on the tables and the hardcore band from Europe setting up for the next show.

As it turned out, just one of the four men considered serious contenders showed up — Jeff Leiper — while the three others sent their regrets, citing previous commitments. Of the ten who round out the field, five brave souls found their way downtown.

In light of the ByWard Market’s reputation as a crime-ridden public-safety risk, Stewart made a big deal of thanking each one for their courage in venturing to the heart of the district.

“Thank you for braving the ByWard Market. This is already a million times better than I thought it would be,” he said with glee.

The band, which also included live wire Rob ‘Chops’ Snasdell on acoustic bass and newly retired Keith Snider on fiddle (filling in for regular fiddler Natalie Cross), set the tone with their catchy signature tune, Old Canal, written to mark the 200th anniversary of the Rideau Canal. The singalong ballad pays tribute to the more than 1,000 workers who died during its construction.

“Say a prayer to those who died,” the musicians sang, along with most of the people in the bar, “and raise a glass to Colonel By.” We did as instructed in toasting the founder of the nation’s capital.

Every three or four songs, Stewart handed the mic to a prospective mayor, who made their individual points with varying degrees of effectiveness. Leiper, the most polished and comfortable on the mic, promised to “turbo charge” the city’s music strategy and keep fostering a vibrant culture, a path he started during his years as Kitchessippi councillor.

He also gave a shout-out to Stewart for doing his part to entertain the city, and promised to keep helping creative folks if he makes it back to city hall. “I cannot think of a calling that is more important than helping out people like Tom,” Leiper said.

Also taking their turns at the mic were Ali Shayvard, who appreciated the opportunity because his father had a heart attack and he hasn’t had time to campaign; Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi, a federal public servant on maternity leave who described herself as a problem solver; Suraj Harish, a soft-spoken retiree who wants to fix infrastructure and OC Transpo; and Josh Rachlis, an actor-songwriter who wants to cultivate the arts community and preserve heritage buildings like the one that houses the Dom.

The candidate with the most to gain may have been Peter Westaway, a familiar and recurring name on the ballot. The former taxi driver was candid about his sole reason for joining the race.

“I’m not running to win, I’m running to make noise,” he said. “I’m a one-issue candidate and that’s the Ottawa Greenbelt. Between Hunt Club (Drive) and Fallowfield (Road) is four kilometres of industrial corn on federal land.”

Westaway wants to combat urban sprawl by developing those acres, reasoning that Ottawa already has enough urban farmland with the Central Experimental Farm.

None of the candidates, by the way, got away without having a photo taken with C.C. To her credit, the eternally patient pup showed no favouritism, treating all five candidates with the same stoic tolerance, no matter their platform. She was such a good girl.