Jim Watson puts his name on the mayoral ballot

Jim Watson arrived at the City of Ottawa Elections Office on Tuesday afternoon to file his paperwork and get his name on the ballot. 

Watson handed over his $200 cheque and a list of signatures, he had 85 names when you only need 25, to make it official. 

Speaking outside the office, the mayor explained his reasons for running. 

“I've always said that people either run from their record or run on their record and I'm very proud of our record.” 

He said that there is a sense of optimism in the city as people have seen several projects completed, including Lansdowne, the Ottawa Art Gallery and recreation spaces across Ottawa. 

Watson has run on the 2 per cent tax cap promise in his last two campaigns and he explained that he plans on having a similar item in his platform this time around. 

“I'm a big believer in under promising and over delivering,” he said. “I think we see too many politicians who do the opposite and I'm very proud that I've put forward a very realistic plan that was fiscally responsible but also allowed us to invest in some really important initiatives.” 

When it comes to competition, as of Tuesday afternoon there was only one other candidate on the ballot for mayor, Bernard Couchman who ran in the 2014 election. 

But, Watson said he's ready for a race. 

“I can't control who's going to run, there's lots of time for people to decide to run,” he explained. “I'm going to focus on my campaign and obviously when people start to register, they will have perhaps different perspectives than I do on some of the key issues.”  

When it comes to election spending, he plans to spend between $400,000 and $500,000. The limit is close to $550,000. 

Watson said we can expect his full platform sometime after Labour Day. 

Voters head to the polls on October 22nd.