Former public servant Neil Saravanamuttoo is running for mayor as an anti-establishment candidate Economist and former public servant Neil Saravanamuttoo is running to be Ottawa's next mayor. He's branded himself as an outsider who wants to fight for the people of Ottawa against special interests and developers. Despite spending most of his career in government, he said he's tired of watching the city's finances go down the drain and wants to make a difference. Over the past few months, the candidates vying to be Ottawa's next mayor have been laying out their campaign platforms. This week, we get to know the people behind the policies. Ottawa mayoral candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo campaign profileToday: Neil Saravanamuttoo. Economist and former public servant Neil Saravanamuttoo is in his "happy place" combing through financial spreadsheets, but this mayoral candidate is anything but a timid number cruncher who wants to stay in the background. Despite spending most of his career in government, he's branded himself as an outsider: an anti-establishment candidate who rails against "special interests" taking over Ottawa city hall.People who know him describe him as a creative thinker, and he's framed his campaign around finding out-of-the-box solutions. He often shows up for media interviews with a tripod and a phone to shoot his own videos for social media. Saravanamuttoo caught the public's attention by campaigning against Lansdowne 2.0, the city's $419-million development of an urban park. The community organizer who started as a one-man band aims to build a movement, though he's never before sought office."The importance of relationships is key," said Saravanamuttoo, who argues that public finance requires people skills, too. "We can't achieve things working alone. " As chief economist of the G20 Global Infrastructure Hub, he said he navigated complex personal relationships with the rotating chair. Turkey wanted to control the agenda, but was open to new ideas; China kept economists under the microscope.He and his two siblings were born in Bristol, England, but grew up near Carlingwood in Ottawa, attending D. Roy Kennedy Public School and Nepean High School.Growing up with unique name and family background"We grew up with a very weird name," explained Malcolm Saravanamuttoo, one of Neil's two older brothers. "You have to understand, back then … if you didn't have a name like John Smith, you stood out. " From left to right, Colin, Neil and Malcolm Saravanamuttoo stand in front of a Spitfire during a trip to RAF Manston in Kent, England, in the 1970s. (Submitted by Neil Saravanamuttoo) As boys who "looked Canadian," it was a curiosity.For their father, Herb, who grew up in Sri Lanka and Scotland before coming to Canada, it was a major hurdle - though the family didn't speak of it at the time."It wasn't until quite late in life, in his final couple of years, that he shared a lot of the experience that he had as someone of colour in this country," Neil Saravanamuttoo said. "It wasn't easy back in the '60s and '70s. " Throughout his life, the surname has been a perennial conversation starter - including when it's not there.Many of the signs that popped up in neighbourhoods across Ottawa used the shorter "Neil for mayor" slogan, causing some to question why.Father Herb Saravanamuttoo engineering career legacy"It's 14 characters! " Saravanamuttoo laughed in explanation, noting the name is spelled out in full on his larger signs. Neil Saravanamuttoo, centre, attends his graduation from Carleton University his brothers and parents. (Submitted by Malcolm Saravanamuttoo) CBC's interview took place within view of a permanent sign for the Saravanamuttoo Family Atrium.He chose the spot within Carleton University's engineering department to share his experiences and those of his family, which has supported the institution. That September afternoon, university staff shared an appreciation lunch underneath the sign - fitting, perhaps, given Herb's love for the place where he spent 56 years teaching engineering and researching gas turbine engines. , a famous Canadian-made interceptor jet that became politically divisive.When then prime minister John Diefenbaker scrapped it, Herb Saravanamuttoo was among the thousands employed through the government project to be laid off over a loud speaker. He managed to smuggle out a set of engine blueprints, despite workers being told to destroy everything. That piece of history was later donated to the Canadian Aviation Museum, according to his obituary. Caption: Neil Saravanamuttoo, bottom, with his brothers and father Herb during a family trip.(Submitted by Malcolm Saravanamuttoo) "I wouldn't say we had a lot of money growing up," Neil Saravanamuttoo said of the years before his father secured a tenured position. His mother, Helen, always made sure there was enough for travel, however, both back to the U.K. and to new locales like Egypt."We were always travelling, even if it was sleeping on the floor of a hotel in Athens," he said. "She was very frugal, but also very generous. " Neil Saravanamuttoo stands in front of a sign for the Saravanamuttoo Family Atrium where he was interviewed by CBC at Carleton University Sept. 30, 2026. (Arthur White-Crummey/CBC) Saravanamuttoo graduated from Carleton with a degree in economics and political science, and later earned a master's degree in public administration from Harvard.He worked at Finance Canada for a decade, but said he left the federal government for good in 2015.Transition from civil servant to mayoral candidate motivation"I don't want to be a civil servant my whole life," he said. "I want to make a difference in the world. " He now runs his own consulting firm, advising governments on financial policy. He has also served on the board of Ottawa Community Housing.But being an independent advisor isn't enough for him anymore. He said he's tired of watching the city's finances go down the drain."I'm sick of people complaining about what's happening to our city, but doing nothing about it," he said. "We need someone who can sit down with the books and figure out what's actually going on. " With the municipal election less than a month away, Saravanamuttoo is hoping to do just that - if voters will let him. "I'm here to fight for the little guy," he said."Not for the developers, not for the special interests, but for the people of Ottawa. "