Mayor Robb Hasty

Ottawa’s latest Mayor, Robert “Robb” Hasty, is a mindfulness machine on the political stage. He admits he’s not a politician and is still reeling from the “air” and fascination that comes with the territory of wearing the mayoral credential. Mayor Robb jokes that despite a background as a local insurance agent and barely scraping through college, he’s now a decision-maker for the city’s water treatment, police departments, and oodles more. The weight of these newfound responsibilities and his attentiveness to the humanity behind political gamesmanship has set him up to become one of Ottawa’s most influential advocates.

He takes the idea of “making waves” and turns it up to 11: “If you look at your life as a wave, there are millions of waves happening all the time. Every moment, every second, another wave is born, rises, and looks different than all the other ones. It’s followed by the next one.” Mayor Robb considers this analogy to be far more pertinent than pithy symbolism. It’s a professional awareness that similarities truly outweigh our differences. “There’s a story, there’s an arc, there’s a lifespan there. Yet that wave is water; it’s the same as all the other waves that have ever existed. It’s the same chemical composite. I’m mindful of the folks around us and know I don’t exist without them.”

The story, the arc, and the lifespan began in 1989 when Mayor Robb relocated to Ottawa from Marseilles. His wife, a veterinarian, was originally his co-worker at Wendy’s in 1993 when they first met. As their slogan goes, “You know when it’s real,” right? They’ve been happily married for 25 years. Two daughters, Eleanor and Iris, provide a practical and artistic perspective, respectively, to the household dynamic and are central influences to the Mayor’s well-manicured sense of duty and selfless service. The decision to run for Mayor was not just a personal choice but a family process, deeply influenced by the desire to make Ottawa a better place for everyone.

“The adage of ‘be good, do good,” is important to me, and that means you have to actually sit with it and appreciate the idea of trying to just be out there and be a better person,” Mayor Robb explains. “That mindset ultimately lent itself to the ideas on how to move the city forward.”

To achieve those ideas, he firmly believes that political games are a waste of time and taxes. Mayor Robb’s approach to leadership and politics is refreshingly nonpartisan. “I’m not interested in the game of politics; I’m interested in improving our community,” he stresses. Mayor Robb sees wavemakers much like himself around him, and he’s willing to listen, even when it requires disagreement and fierce opposition. “My views might be more progressive than some other local politicians, but working with conservative Democrats and independent voices on the Republican side is the best formula for our area.”

“It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on; your dog still tears up the rug,” he jokes. “In this day and age, with social media, it’s easy to forget that.”

As a father with children in local schools, Mayor Robb understands the pivotal role of education in shaping our community’s future. His involvement in the Ottawa Township High School Foundation Board and his persistent, humanizing interactions at city hall and insurance office are an effort to “turn names into people” within the district. “If you know the person who picks up your garbage and who their families are,” he illustrates, “it’s a lot harder to go out on the street and yell at that guy for missing a pick-up.” When he walks the hallways at the high school, he admits to a sincere pride in how exceptional the institution is for the area and deeply admires the leadership. “There have been some board members who are interested in academics and the product, not in the process,” he highlights. “The school board is composed of people who want to be there and make education better, not to be there to say that they’re on a board.”

In a time of division and toxic partisanship, Mayor Robb obsessively stares at his calendar all day to balance his duties as an insurance broker and the big cheese in city government. He’s searching for opportunities in those squares inundated with appointments. There’s so much to be done, and he peers closely for cracks in the paper margins to let some light in. His goal is to foster a community where diverse voices are heard, and progress is measured in both economic terms and in the quality of life for all residents.

“It’s been exciting and fun so far,” he grins. “We’re starting to see some things happen and see some movement.” This blend of excitement and action under Mayor Robb’s tenure heralds a new era for Ottawa, where positive change is not just a goal but an evolving, tangible reality.