1991 Ottawa municipal election

1991 Ottawa mayoral election
← 1988 November 12, 1991 1994 →
 
Candidate Jacquelin Holzman Nancy Smith Marc Laviolette
Popular vote 38,725 35,525 21,101
Percentage 39.61% 36.34% 21.58%
Results by ward
Mayor before election

Marc Laviolette

 Elected mayor

Jacquelin Holzman

The city of Ottawa, Canada held municipal elections on November 12, 1991.

Right wing Britannia Ward councillor Jacquelin Holzman defeated left wing St. George's councillor Nancy Smith and mayor Marc Laviolette. Holzman defeated Smith by just 3,022 votes. She ran on a platform to "keep a lid on city taxes".[1]

Despite the eventual closeness of the result, and the polarization of the candidates, pundits lamented that the electorate was not interested in the election, as the candidates had not inspired the voters who were more concerned with "national issues like the constitution and the economy".[2]

After the election, Liberal MP Mac Harb (who supported Holzman) admitted to "quietly encourag[ing]" Laviolette to enter the race to split the vote, because he "couldn't stomach (the thought of) Smith's left wing social agenda" winning.[3]

  1. ^ Ottawa Citizen, Nov 13, 1991, pg A1, "It's Mayor Holzman"
  2. ^ "Race stuck in neutral". Ottawa Citizen. November 9, 1991. p. 1. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "Split vote kept left wing from winning, Harb boasts". Ottawa Citizen. November 30, 1991. p. 1. Retrieved June 24, 2023.