| Biography | | | | Since his 2006 re-election for a third term on Ottawa City Council, Rainer Bloess has continued to proudly represent Innes Ward, a varied and rapidly developing area which is home to nearly 40,000 residents. This large, east-end ward encompasses several distinct communities, including Blackburn Hamlet, Chapel Hill, Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Château-Neuf, and part of Orléans village.A long-time resident of Blackburn Hamlet, Rainer’s first involvement in community affairs was as a volunteer in a number of community organizations, handling Civic Affairs for the Blackburn Community Association, serving as Facilities Director for the annual Fun Fair fundraising event and playing an active role in the local volunteer Recreation and Parks Board. He has also been active for many years on the local sports scene as a coach, manager and player in a number of sports including soccer and hockey. Rainer was first elected to Gloucester Council in 1994 where he served two terms as the representative for Ward 3 (Blackburn Hamlet.) As Councillor, he worked diligently both as an advocate for individual constituents and as a forceful voice on City Council representing his community. Especially significant among his accomplishments were the construction of a much-needed and long awaited community hall, the initiating of the rehabilitation of Innes Road, the "main street" of Blackburn Hamlet, and the provision of advice and assistance to numerous local groups seeking sponsorships, funding and City support. He was supportive of and involved in the spirited local campaign to preserve the greenbelt lands that surround the community. Equally noteworthy is the fact that during Rainer's tenure on Gloucester Council, Gloucester was recognized for practicing fiscal restraint and for reducing taxes by 15%. During his first term as Councillor for Innes Ward in the amalgamated City of Ottawa, Rainer’s priorities included ensuring that local individuals and communities were heard in the new City and that projects such as the reconstruction and widening of Innes Road in both the western and eastern sectors of the ward were kept on track. Throughout this term, a period of transition for all area residents, he remained committed to working with his Council colleagues to hold the line on taxes and expenditures and to deal effectively with the transit problems that accompany the unprecedented growth Ottawa's east-end is currently experiencing. Rainer is acknowledged as one of the frugal councillors on City Council and continues to represent fiscally responsible and conservative views at the Council table. At the same time however he is a firm believer in the importance of encouraging the development of programs and organizations at the community level and the retention of vital community services. During the 2004 budget crisis he consistently opposed dramatic cutbacks such as the proposed closing of the Blackburn Hamlet library, supporting instead further streamlining of the administrative level of municipal government.Now well into a third term following a landslide victory in the 2006 municipal election, Rainer continues to champion east-end causes and respond to community concerns. In direct response to his NDC constituents, he has actively supported the provision of funding to community groups such as the Friends of the Mer Bleue to help residents obtain professional advice and support when they oppose planning and development proposals in their neighbourhoods. In an effort to foster economic development throughout the ward, he helped to establish Team Ottawa-Orléans, a promising local business organization, and has co-chaired the City’s Cutting Red Tape Task Force established to help eliminate unnecessary and costly delays for business owners and developers. He has also strongly supported the approval of a public-private partnership which will see the opening in the near future of an east-end arts facility long sought after by local arts groups. In response to complaints from residents that too many portable signs blight the east-end commercial landscape, he brought the issue to Council and ultimately insisted that the City’s temporary sign bylaw be strictly enforced. Mindful of the thousands of Innes Ward residents who commute daily to work, he also continues efforts to ensure that the City’s transit network addresses the recent explosive growth and transportation needs of Ottawa’s east end. Having voted against the ill-fated light rail proposal of 2006, Rainer is heavily involved in the City’s Transportation and Transit Committees and in the effort to develop a workable, affordable solution to the transit bottleneck in the downtown core which is of particular interest to so many east-end commuters.With municipalities now shouldering more responsibilities and costs than ever before, he has also supported a more forceful effort to lobby both the federal and provincial governments for tax reforms and increased financial support for municipalities.As always, Rainer’s focus remains the efficient and effective provision of those services which taxpayers consider the most essential. He continues as well to serve as an advocate for causes of importance to his constituents and a champion of and enabler for local community groups.Rainer can be reached at the office at 613-580-2472. He can also be emailed at the city at Rainer.Bloess@ottawa.ca. Mail can be directed to City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 1J1 | | | |
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