"My riding is unusual," Desroches said. "I am the only councillor who has to leave his or her ward to get from Point A to Point B."

Desroches’ riding takes in the eastern part of Barrhaven and Stonebridge on the west side of the Rideau River, and it includes Riverside South. Until the bridge is built, he must pass through Manotick, which is in the Rideau-Goulbourn riding, and, depending on what part of his riding he is going to, he must cross through Doug Thompson’s Osgoode Ward.

Nobody wants the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge built and in operation more than Desroches. And whether he was in Barrhaven, Riverside South, or halfway between in Manotick, it was, according to Desroches, "the one thing that I was asked about over and over again heading into the municipal election."

Four years ago, Desroches did not imagine he would have had to devote so much of the time in his first term of councillor to the project. It was approved and ready to be built, along with the rest of the since-cancelled North- South light rail transit plan that would start in Barrhaven, cross the bridge across the Rideau and into Riverside South, and eventually end at Ottawa U. In 2006, the new Ottawa city council, behind newly-elected Mayor Larry O’Brien, voted to kill the project that they had already passed under former Mayor Bob Chiarelli. The impact for Ward 22 was enormous.

"My riding was the epicentre of impact of the LRT decision," said Desroches. "It goes so far beyond just saving money and not building the LRT. Coming out of Barrhaven, there is a corridor that sits idle. There are so many traffic challenges that presented themselves because of the LRT cancellation. There were parks designed to be along the LRT and buildings for businesses were built specifically because they would be along the LRT line. There were people who built homes and who moved to Riverside South and Barrhaven because of the LRT, and there are businesses who located to the community to be along the LRT. And, of course, the cancellation of the LRT led to the demise of the original Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge, as it was supposed to be part of the project.

"What we were left with was a $30 million cancellation fee and nothing to show for it."

Given the impact of the decision to cancel the LRT project, one would think that Ward 22 would be leading the charge in the movement to flush out council. Yet, Desroches was perhaps the safest of all incumbents on Election Day.

"The underlying message I heard in the campaign was that people were satisfied with the work I was doing and that they were pleased with the progress we were making in the community," said Desroches. "But I did get a lot of people questioning what was going on at City Hall. People don’t want a soap opera at City Hall. They want us to work together. That’s our objective. My name was not on the front page of the papers when there was conflict or discord."

While Desroches won his seat in the election in a landslide victory, that was not the case in 2006. Desroches was one of a number of candidates to try and win the seat in the newly created Ward 22. He campaigned relentlessly, knocking on every door in the ward four times. He worked the media, almost to a fault, and took criticism for what was perceived by some to be near desperation to get in on photo opportunities. On election night, CFRA and other media outlets had declared former regional chair Andy Haydon, the Stonebridge resident whom the Council Chambers are named for, as the winner after early polling results were in. But, in the end, it was Desroches who knocked off the veteran politician and earned the seat in Andy Haydon Hall. Haydon joined the race late and did not have the time to catch up to Desroches’ guerrilla campaigning efforts. Haydon earned many votes on his past accomplishments, but there were too many newcomers to the community who were unfamiliar with Haydon and his contributions to the community in the days before amalgamation.

After the election, Desroches never stopped knocking on doors, setting aside his Friday afternoons to spend time meeting constituents.

"It’s a great way to get your finger on the pulse of the community," he said. "City Hall can be oxygen deprived and cut off from your ward. You have to get out there and see and hear what the priorities in the community are."

At City Hall, Desroches had some help in finding his way around. He worked closely with Barrhaven Councillor Jan Harder on a number of projects and events. He also said that Rainer Bloess, Peter Hume, Eli El-Chantiry and a number of other councillors always had an open door for him when he needed it.

One of the early challenges Desroches faced was in prioritizing ward and city issues.

"I am accountable to the residents of Ward 22," he said, "but I have to have a city-wide focus on issues."

Desroches’ focus quickly locked in on transit.

"I was disappointed with the cancellation of the LRT," said Desroches. "And we have to do our homework on the downtown tunnel. We can’t have that as the sole priority and have nothing for the suburban communities."

Desroches said that the focus for transportation needs to be on finding a project which fits within the funding available. He also wonders if the western route is the way to go or whether the plan should go south. Desroches also said the P3 partnerships with the business community on infrastructure projects should be looked at and considered.

While the LRT was cancelled, there were some infrastructure and progressive victories for the area. Funding is in place for a new police station near Carleton Lodge that will serve Barrhaven, Riverside South and Manotick. Longfields Drive has been extended to serve the new RCMP headquarters, Limebank Road has been upgraded and is no longer considered one of the 10 worst roads in the province, and other projects have moved forward. The jewel in the Ward 22 crown, however, remains the bridge.

"(Nepean-Carleton MP) Pierre Poilievre and (MP and Tory Cabinet Minister) John Baird worked extremely hard in securing the funding for the bridge, and Jim Watson did, too," said Desroches. "And Jan Harder and Lisa MacLeod worked very hard. It was nice to see it all come together. Of all the projects we had in my first term, the bridge is the one I am most proud of."

Transportation will continue to dominate the attention of the next term for Desroches.

"The southwest transitway is the backbone for transportation in Barrhaven," he said. "When people think about the bridge, they think about cars. But this bridge will link two very important elements of our public transportation. Residents of Riverside South will have access to the southwest transitway, and residents of Barrhaven will have a much quicker and easier route to the airport and to Carleton University by bus."

The new council will bring in a completely different dynamic. Desroches, who turned 40 during his term, was the young kid on the block during the last council term. This time around, with the influx of 20- and 30-somethings and 10 new faces on council, Desroches will be a seasoned veteran at the council table. He is, however, excited to be a part of the new council.

"I’m very excited," he said. "We need a strong leader, and I think Jim Watson will be a very good mayor. Jim is a fiscal conservative, and the council certainly has that feel this time around."

While Desroches cites the bridge and infrastructure projects among his accomplishments, there are also some personal highlights that he will remember from his first term on council. One involves playground equipment that was installed for a child with a disability. Desroches said there was an overwhelming feeling of excitement and joy as the child could integrate and play without being afraid. Another highlight was laying the wreath at last year’s national Remembrance Day ceremony at the War Memorial in downtown Ottawa, when he was serving as Deputy Mayor.

"I get emotional thinking about both of those things," he said. "Being a councillor can be rewarding and it can be humbling."

As Desroches heads into his second term, he knows that his ward will once again face changes. The Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge will completely change the structure of his ward, and it will have a huge impact on Manotick and other communities. But metaphorically, through his work at the council table, Desroches has been building bridges for four years, and he will continue as we move into the next term.