Ottawa mayor admits he’s “pretty bad,” wants re-election

Larry O’Brien says his first two years in office were a “complete disaster” but that voters should give him a second chance.

O’Brien was widely criticized for essentially having no clue what he was doing when he took office four years ago, and he has now admitted that he never even thought he would be elected. After being voted in,he reneged on his promise not to raise taxes and failed on many of his key initiatives, such as revamping Sparks Street and building a ring road in the city. That’s all behind him now, he says, and because he’s learned from his mistakes he would do much better in his second term. He probably won’t get the chance to redeem himself however, as former Ontario cabinet minister Jim Watson has a healthy lead in the polls.