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Michael Wooden, the founding father of an area occasions firm who grew to become an advocate for small companies in the course of the pandemic, is vying for town council seat in Knoxdale-Merivale.
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Wooden, who grew up in Craig Henry, a residential neighbourhood within the Knoxdale-Merivale ward, introduced his candidacy in a radio interview and on social media on Monday.
“I’m coming house,” wrote Wooden. “The previous two years, I’ve confirmed that I can provide individuals a voice in any respect ranges of presidency in a balanced, non-partisan manner.
“Right now, I registered and introduced that I’m coming house and can run for metropolis council in Ward 9. Whereas there may be some dialogue that I dwell in Barrhaven, my dad nonetheless lives in the identical home I grew up in and I’m there weekly. Dwelling will all the time be house and residential will all the time be Craig Henry.”
Wooden is the co-founder of Ottawa Particular Occasions, which rents out occasion tools. Earlier than the pandemic, his shoppers included the Nationwide Hockey League, Cirque Du Soleil, the Canadian Soccer League and lots of native gala’s, festivals, conferences and commerce reveals, based on his web site. However when the fears over the unfold of COVID-19 led to cancelled concert events and gatherings, enterprise declined 97 per cent. He started advocating for small companies like his by reaching out to politicians, asking to speak.
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“I met with greater than 30 ministers, MPs and MPPs to precise the issues of small-business homeowners,” Wooden wrote within the pages of this newspaper in March of 2021. “I discovered {that a} personal citizen might prepare that a whole lot of companies be heard at digital roundtables with authorities officers and that it was attainable to affect change in authorities coverage by presenting solutions-based, productive ideas and, after all, by merely being well mannered.”
Keith Egli, the present metropolis councillor for Knoxdale-Merivale, has introduced that he won’t be operating for re-election.
Wooden joins Joseph Ben-Ami, James Dean, Sean Devine, Myles Egli, Peter Anthony Weber and Peter Westaway who’re additionally operating for town council seat in Knoxdale-Merivale.
