Alex Cullen
Encyclopedia
Alexander Shaun Cullen is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He is a former Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
and a former member of Ottawa City Council
, representing the Bay Ward
in Ottawa's west end.
in Montreal before moving to Ottawa to attend Carleton University
. At Carleton, he was the President of the Carleton University Student Liberals and served on the Carleton University Students Association as Arts Representative and later as Vice-President of CUSA. However, he didn't finish at Carleton due to poor grades. He worked at Fat Albert's in Ottawa (a sub shop) before heading to Toronto, where he worked as a bank teller and savings supervisor. He then went to York University
in Toronto, where he obtained both a Batchelor's degree (Honours) and a Master's degree in economics. He also became a member of Mensa
. Cullen later returned to Ottawa to work initially for Informetrica (an economics consulting firm) as an economist, moving on to the federal Department of Health and Welfare as a policy analyst. There he joined the Economists', Statisticians' & Sociologists' Association (ESSA - a federal public service union), where he rose to Vice-President.
In 1982 he was elected school board trustee with the Ottawa Board of Education
. In the 1985 provincial election
, he ran as a Liberal candidate in the riding of Ottawa West
but lost to Ontario Progressive Conservative Party incumbent Reuben Baetz
, a cabinet minister, by about 3,000 votes. Easily re-elected as a school board trustee in 1985, Cullen again sought the Liberal nomination to run in the Ottawa West riding in the 1987 election
, but lost to local lawyer Bob Chiarelli
. During this time Cullen was also active in Kiwanis, serving as President of the Westboro Kiwanis Club in 1985-86.
He ran for Ottawa City Council in 1988 in the Richmond Ward, but lost to incumbent Jacquelin Holzman
. When Holzman vacated the seat to successfully run for mayor in the 1991 election, Cullen, then a community association president in the ward (Glabar Park Community Alliance), ran again and won the seat in a close three-way race.
As an Ottawa City Councillor he also served jointly on the Council of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
. In 1994 Cullen was elected as the first Regional Councillor for Bay Ward, when provincial legislation created a directly-elected Regional Council. In 1996, Cullen supported Dalton McGuinty
to lead the Ontario Liberal Party (Ottawa Citizen, 2 December 1996).
, Cullen ran for the Liberals and was easily elected as MPP. He soon gained national prominence as the only provincial legislator in the country to vote against the Calgary Declaration
, as he opposed any document that would give Quebec unequal powers under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This vote made him unpopular within the Liberal Party. In the run-up to the 1999 provincial election
, Cullen was challenged for the Liberal nomination in the new riding of Ottawa West-Nepean by Rick Chiarelli
, a Nepean
city councillor. After a contentious nomination battle, Chiarelli emerged victorious and on November 15, 1988 Cullen was expelled from the Liberal caucus and sat as an independent MPP. He joined the New Democratic Party
a few weeks later, and subsequently won the NDP nomination in the riding.
Cullen received 7,701 votes in the 1999 Ontario general election
, behind second place Chiarelli (16,419 votes). Progressive Conservative Garry Guzzo
was elected with 22,834 votes.
in newly amalgamated City of Ottawa in 2000
, and was re-elected in 2003
and 2006
, defeating high profile right-wing challenger Terry Kilrea
. During his tenure Cullen served as Chair of the City's Transit Committee (responsible for public transit service in Ottawa), and on the Board of Directors of Ottawa Community Housing (the City's social housing agency) and Hydro Ottawa
.
On January 4, 2010, Cullen filed his nomination to run for mayor in Ottawa's 2010 municipal election
. On August 31, Cullen dropped out of the race, citing low funds, the addition of another left wing candidate (Clive Doucet
) and a desire to defeat Terry Kilrea
in Bay Ward. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Cullen+drops+mayoral+race/3463871/story.html
On October 25, 2010, Cullen lost in his bid for re-election in Bay Ward to challenger Mark Taylor
. Cullen cited his late entry into the race in Bay Ward as the reason for his loss. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Taylor+promises+energy/3724753/story.html
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is a former Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
and a former member of Ottawa City Council
Ottawa City Council
The Ottawa City Council is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 23 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each of the councillors represent wards throughout the city. Council members are elected to four year terms with the...
, representing the Bay Ward
Bay Ward
Bay Ward is a municipal ward in Ottawa, Canada. It covers much of the western portion of the old city of Ottawa as well as some portions of what was once Nepean. The ward runs from Sherbourne and Maitland in the east to March Road in the west. The southern border in the Queensway while the northern...
in Ottawa's west end.
Early life and city politics
Cullen was born February 18, 1951 in Montreal to a Dutch mother and an Irish father, who was a sea captain-turned successful businessman in Montreal. Cullen attended Lower Canada CollegeLower Canada College
Lower Canada College of Montreal is an elementary and secondary level private school.The college was founded by the Church of St John the Evangelist in 1861 as St. John's School and changed its name to Lower Canada College in 1909, replacing an older school by that name that was founded in...
in Montreal before moving to Ottawa to attend Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
. At Carleton, he was the President of the Carleton University Student Liberals and served on the Carleton University Students Association as Arts Representative and later as Vice-President of CUSA. However, he didn't finish at Carleton due to poor grades. He worked at Fat Albert's in Ottawa (a sub shop) before heading to Toronto, where he worked as a bank teller and savings supervisor. He then went to York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto, where he obtained both a Batchelor's degree (Honours) and a Master's degree in economics. He also became a member of Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
. Cullen later returned to Ottawa to work initially for Informetrica (an economics consulting firm) as an economist, moving on to the federal Department of Health and Welfare as a policy analyst. There he joined the Economists', Statisticians' & Sociologists' Association (ESSA - a federal public service union), where he rose to Vice-President.
In 1982 he was elected school board trustee with the Ottawa Board of Education
Ottawa Board of Education
The Ottawa Board of Education was the public school board for Ottawa from 1970 to 1998. The board was created as part of a province-wide reorganization of the public education system. Previously, elementary schools had been supervised by the Ottawa Public Board of Education, while secondary...
. In the 1985 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
, he ran as a Liberal candidate in the riding of Ottawa West
Ottawa West
Ottawa West was a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1997 and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1908 to 1926 and from 1955 to 1999. It covered the western part of the Ottawa area.-Federal...
but lost to Ontario Progressive Conservative Party incumbent Reuben Baetz
Reuben Baetz
Reuben Conrad Baetz was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Baetz was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Baetz was born in Chesley, Ontario...
, a cabinet minister, by about 3,000 votes. Easily re-elected as a school board trustee in 1985, Cullen again sought the Liberal nomination to run in the Ottawa West riding in the 1987 election
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
, but lost to local lawyer Bob Chiarelli
Bob Chiarelli
Robert "Bob" Chiarelli is a Canadian politician. He served in the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 1997, and was subsequently re-elected to the legislature in 2010 after serving as regional chair and mayor of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006...
. During this time Cullen was also active in Kiwanis, serving as President of the Westboro Kiwanis Club in 1985-86.
He ran for Ottawa City Council in 1988 in the Richmond Ward, but lost to incumbent Jacquelin Holzman
Jacquelin Holzman
Jacquelin Holzman served as mayor of Ottawa, Canada, from 1991 to 1997. Never attending university, she married at age nineteen and started a family...
. When Holzman vacated the seat to successfully run for mayor in the 1991 election, Cullen, then a community association president in the ward (Glabar Park Community Alliance), ran again and won the seat in a close three-way race.
As an Ottawa City Councillor he also served jointly on the Council of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
The Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton was a regional government area and census division in Ontario, Canada which existed from 1969 until 2001...
. In 1994 Cullen was elected as the first Regional Councillor for Bay Ward, when provincial legislation created a directly-elected Regional Council. In 1996, Cullen supported Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
to lead the Ontario Liberal Party (Ottawa Citizen, 2 December 1996).
Provincial politics
In 1997, Bob Chiarelli resigned from the Legislature to run for Chair of the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Municipality. In the subsequent Ottawa West by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, Cullen ran for the Liberals and was easily elected as MPP. He soon gained national prominence as the only provincial legislator in the country to vote against the Calgary Declaration
Calgary Declaration
The Calgary Declaration, also known as the Calgary Accord, was an agreement made between most premiers of the provinces and territories of Canada regarding how to approach future amendments to the Constitution. It was signed in Calgary, Alberta on September 14, 1997, by all Canadian premiers and...
, as he opposed any document that would give Quebec unequal powers under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This vote made him unpopular within the Liberal Party. In the run-up to the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, Cullen was challenged for the Liberal nomination in the new riding of Ottawa West-Nepean by Rick Chiarelli
Rick Chiarelli
Richard "Rick" Chiarelli is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently an Ottawa City Councillor, and the second cousin of former Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli. He represents the College Ward covering part of Nepean and Ottawa's west end.-Early years:...
, a Nepean
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
city councillor. After a contentious nomination battle, Chiarelli emerged victorious and on November 15, 1988 Cullen was expelled from the Liberal caucus and sat as an independent MPP. He joined the New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
a few weeks later, and subsequently won the NDP nomination in the riding.
Cullen received 7,701 votes in the 1999 Ontario general election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, behind second place Chiarelli (16,419 votes). Progressive Conservative Garry Guzzo
Garry Guzzo
Garry Guzzo is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003....
was elected with 22,834 votes.
Return to city council
Cullen went on to become Executive Director of the Council on Aging, a United Way agency and lobby group for seniors. Cullen was elected to represent Bay WardBay Ward
Bay Ward is a municipal ward in Ottawa, Canada. It covers much of the western portion of the old city of Ottawa as well as some portions of what was once Nepean. The ward runs from Sherbourne and Maitland in the east to March Road in the west. The southern border in the Queensway while the northern...
in newly amalgamated City of Ottawa in 2000
Ottawa municipal election, 2000
The 2000 City of Ottawa elections were held on November 13, 2000, in Ottawa, Canada. The elections were held for mayor of Ottawa, Ottawa City Council and a number of school trustees. These elections would mark the first for the newly amalgamated city, which now included 10 new municipalities in...
, and was re-elected in 2003
Ottawa municipal election, 2003
The Ottawa municipal election of 2003 was held in Ottawa, Canada, to elect the city's mayor, City Council, and school trustees for the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The vote was held on November 10, 2003...
and 2006
Ottawa municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Ottawa municipal election was held on November 13, 2006, in Ottawa, Canada, to elect the mayor of Ottawa, Ottawa City Council and the Ottawa-Carleton Public and Catholic School Boards. The election was one of many races across the province of Ontario...
, defeating high profile right-wing challenger Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea is an aspiring politician from Ottawa.-2003 election:Kilrea ran for mayor of Ottawa in the 2003 municipal election on a platform that included opposition to light rail expansion, opposition to official bilingualism, abolition of the ban on smoking in public places, and an increase of...
. During his tenure Cullen served as Chair of the City's Transit Committee (responsible for public transit service in Ottawa), and on the Board of Directors of Ottawa Community Housing (the City's social housing agency) and Hydro Ottawa
Hydro Ottawa
Hydro Ottawa is an electricity distribution company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As of 2010, Hydro Ottawa provides power to over 296,000 customers in Ottawa and Casselman.-History:...
.
On January 4, 2010, Cullen filed his nomination to run for mayor in Ottawa's 2010 municipal election
Ottawa municipal election, 2010
The Ottawa municipal election was contested on October 25, 2010 to elect the mayor of Ottawa, Ottawa City Council and the Ottawa-Carleton Public and Catholic School Boards...
. On August 31, Cullen dropped out of the race, citing low funds, the addition of another left wing candidate (Clive Doucet
Clive Doucet
Clive Doucet is a Canadian writer and politician.Doucet was born in 1946 in London, England to an Acadian serviceman and an English war bride. Doucet grew up in the city of Ottawa, Ontario. He also spent some of his youth in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Doucet was raised as a Catholic,...
) and a desire to defeat Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea is an aspiring politician from Ottawa.-2003 election:Kilrea ran for mayor of Ottawa in the 2003 municipal election on a platform that included opposition to light rail expansion, opposition to official bilingualism, abolition of the ban on smoking in public places, and an increase of...
in Bay Ward. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Cullen+drops+mayoral+race/3463871/story.html
On October 25, 2010, Cullen lost in his bid for re-election in Bay Ward to challenger Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor (Canadian politician)
Mark Taylor is an Ottawa city councillor representing Bay Ward. He defeated incumbent Alex Cullen in the Ottawa municipal election, 2010....
. Cullen cited his late entry into the race in Bay Ward as the reason for his loss. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Taylor+promises+energy/3724753/story.html