Paul Ayotte

Paul Ayotte
Mayor of Peterborough, Ontario
In office 2006–2010
Preceded by	Sylvia Sutherland
Succeeded by	Daryl Bennett
Member of the Peterborough City Council, Ashburnham Ward with John Duncan (1997-2000) and Doug Peacock (2000-2003)
In office 1978–1985
In office 1987–2003
Preceded by	Paul Rexe
Succeeded by	Terry Guiel and Len Vass
Personal details
Born	Peterborough, Ontario

D. Paul Ayotte is a municipal politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. Formerly a city councillor, he was the mayor of Peterborough from 2006 to 2010.

Ayotte was born and raised in Peterborough, where members of his family have lived since 1835. He has a certificate in public administration and was a technical writer for General Electric before retiring in 2002. He is a member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians and is known for being very knowledgeable on parliamentary procedure.

Ayotte was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the 1981. In a 2003 interview, he said that the disease had been in remission for years.

Ayotte first ran for the Peterborough city council in 1978, saying he did not want the only two other candidates in Ashburnham Ward to win without opposition. He finished at the head of the polls and was returned in every subsequent election until 1985. After a two-year break, he returned to council in 1987 and served until his first mayoral run in 2003. He was chair of the city's finance committee for sixteen years, chair of the planning committee for nine years, and deputy mayor for fifteen years. An editorial in the Peterborough Examiner describes him as having focused his attention on city-wide issues, rather than acting as a "parochial ward councillor."

In 2003, he voted against a motion that advised the government of Canada to remain out of the American invasion of Iraq. He was quoted as saying, "I don't think I'm elected to advise the federal government on foreign policy."

Ayotte first ran for mayor of Peterborough in the 2003 municipal election. He supported a controversial parkway extension from Clonsilla Avenue to Cumberland Avenue, an area that covered municipal green space. He also called for increased public transportation and greater private sector involvement in affordable housing. Fifty-nine years old at the time, he finished third against incumbent mayor Sylvia Sutherland. After the election, he wrote a series of columns on municipal politics for Peterborough This Week. When flood waters damaged more than three thousand homes in mid-2004, he was appointed to chair the Peterborough Area Flood Relief Committee.

...
Wikipedia