Lansdowne Park’s renewal may  soon give Ottawa what some have called a “jewel on the Rideau.” But scratching beneath the surface of this local gem quickly reveals another reality.

The problem is not the major unresolved issues of the Lansdowne Live plan. The site’s “front lawn” design contest will undoubtedly be bogged down by indecision and the resulting gridlock on Bank Street will certainly glaciate the entire city’s traffic flow. But there are other more pressing issues. One of these is what the recent Lansdowne debate and vote has once again demonstrated.

In 2001, the City of Ottawa grew 25 times larger. By bringing outlying municipalities under its belt, Queen's Park hoped to streamline municipal government and cut costs. The councillors were even legislated, in the 1999 City of Ottawa Act, to co-operate with the transition process. But that has been ignored nearly every step of the way.

Issues such as the interprovincial bridge have brought out the worst in councillors. Anyone who crosses the Ottawa River at rush hour knows the city needs another bridge. The NCC told councillors that the best location was at Kettle Island. However, that region’s councillor, Jacques Legendre, demanded that the study include two other options, outside his ward. The study has since tripled in both time and cost.

This “not-in-my-backyard” mentality brings us to the Lansdowne Live debate. The 15-9 outcome seemed like a simple majority vote. However, those in support were primarily from rural and suburban communities; the urban wards were mostly against the plan.

The suburban councillors simply don’t care if the inner city suffers from chronic traffic snarls or developers taking advantage of a mismanaged design competition.

But why would they? Councillors need only to appease their own constituents to be re-elected. Mastery of this tactic leads to political immortality.

This problem quietly simmers in perpetuity, fueled by divisive questions. Why should Osgoode residents pay taxes in support of a downtown tunnel? Why should Glebe homeowners fund the city’s trucks that pick up garbage in Constance Bay? There have been loud, albeit brief, calls for de-amalgamation, but it is unlikely to occur.

There is a solution to the regionally based quarrels, which has been successful in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Quebec City: municipal political parties. Local activists, businesspeople and community association chairs form a slate of candidates that run for election across the city. Once elected, they co-operatively govern the city according to their party’s platform.

How refreshing to hear words such as “plan” and “co-operate” used to describe city politics. But such a structure could never be introduced into a government as obstinate Ottawa, could it? Maybe it could.

It appears a political "party" is indeed forming. Media reports say that the group calling itself “Our Ottawa” has about 100 people associated with it; five members have been chosen as election candidates.

This nascent group might provide the political alternative Ottawa so desperately needs. However, until the next election, the city is stuck with the same dysfunctional and divided group of councillors.