Jim Durrell

Who is Jim Durrell?

James A. Durrell CM was Mayor of Ottawa from 1985 to 1991, he later served as president of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. He now works as the owner of a car dealership. Durrell, an insurance executive, was elected to Ottawa City Council in 1980. When long serving mayor Marion Dewar retired Durrell defeated Marlene Catterall running on a right of centre platform.

During his time as mayor Durrell was most closely involved in professional sports. He worked to obtain tax grants for the Ottawa Rough Riders football team, encouraged a Triple A baseball team to locate in Ottawa, and most notably he won an NHL franchise for the city. Early in his term, he secured the 1988 Grey Cup for Ottawa, and was involved in Ottawa's bid for the 1994 Commonwealth Games, which were later granted to Victoria, British Columbia.

In December 1990, Durrell was named president of the new Ottawa Senators team, controversially maintaining this job and his position as mayor. However, he resigned as mayor in January 1991 due to the demands of his Senators job. He served in this role for a number of years, before being forced to leave due to the deep financial troubles of the team. He bought a car dealership called Capital Dodge Chrysler Jeep and serves on a number of boards including being Chairman of the Ottawa International Airport and Chairman of the Ottawa Congress Center. In December 2012, he was named as a Member of the Order of Canada.