Career
He served as acting as mayor of Ottawa, while mayor Larry O"Brien faced charges from May 2-July 8, 2009. Bellemare represented Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward in the east end of the city, formerly part of Gloucester. A lawyer by training, Bellemare first ran for a seat on the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton council (RMOC) in 1994.
He was successful, defeating long-standing councillor Fiona Faucher.
When the RMOC was abolished with the creation of the larger city of Ottawa in 2000, Bellemare was elected to the Ottawa City Council. In council, he is one of the strongest proponents of official bilingualism and tax cuts.
