A unique election night for outgoing Ottawa City Councillor Marianne Wilkinson

There are just four Ottawa City Councillors not running for re-election on October 22, and Kanata North's Marianne Wilkinson is the longest serving of them all.

The long-time resident of Kanata was first a member of the March Township council from 1970 to 1975.

Not long after that, Wilkinson was elected as Kanata's first mayor, where she served for seven years. Since then, she's served as a regional councillor and city councillor after Kanata became part of the City of Ottawa.

She said one of the biggest decisions she was a part of as Kanata's mayor was getting the Queensway to be built outside the town's core.

Wilkinson explained that amalgamation has helped fund Kanata's heritage sites and libraries over the years, but she thinks things like sidewalk and park maintenance have unfortunately tended to fall by the wayside.

Even though some residents in the suburb would like to break away from the city, Wilkinson said she doesn't see that happening, and thinks it will be good to share transit once the LRT reaches farther west.

As for this election, she told Rick Gibbons, it is still going to be nerve-racking, because she is backing certain candidates, so she hopes they win.

She thinks there are many great women running for council seats in Ottawa, and she hopes they get voted in.

Wilkinson also expressed a need to see candidates voted in who represent a variety of ideas, to bring something new to the council table.

Other city councillors not seeking re-election this fall include Bay Ward's Mark Taylor, Orlean's Bob Monnette, and Innes Ward's Jody Mitic.

Listen to the full conversation with Marianne Wilkinson: