Question remains as to whether or not Coun. Rick Chiarelli will seek re-election in October
Posted Apr 21, 2022 11:30:00 PM.
Will he, or won’t he, run again?
That’s the question that’s on the minds of College ward constituents as current councillor Rick Chiarelli has yet to announce his candidacy for the upcoming municipal elections following yet another allegation of inappropriate behaviour involving a former female staff member.
In a statement to CityNews Ottawa, a spokesperson for Chiarelli says he has never been known to declare his candidacy in any election year, but that he is “committed to continuing to doing the job he was elected to do in his current mandate.”
Before he became a city councillor for the new City of Ottawa, Chiarelli completed three terms on Nepean City Council where he also served as Acting Mayor.
Since the city’s amalgamation, he has served as the new College Ward councillor, which comprises of the old Nepean and Carleton wards.
In more recent years, Chiarelli has dealt with health issues that concerned his heart, as well as several allegations of sexual misconduct, the most recent allegation coming about on April 21 (all of which he denies taking place).
In response to the latest allegation, as reported by CBC, Chiarelli’s spokesperson had this to say:
“Chiarelli’s lawyer also asserted the integrity commissioner’s process precludes the councillor from responding to the allegations in a ‘substantive way.’”
In a statement released in October 2019, Chiarelli said that he had been dealing with a “well-documented and objectively verifiable health issues since the middle of August (2019).”
As a result of the integrity commissioner’s report on the allegations of misconduct, Chiarelli endured a 450-day salary suspension, which ended in November 2021.
Ottawa's municipal election is set for October 24.
