2008 Municipal Elections - Page 6

terrynorthend · #**101** Posted: **Jun 10, 2009, 10:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

Maybe we can make some use out of this thread and just rename it Municipal Elections so we can continue to use it for any by-elections.

Due to the provincial election tonight HRM will be losing Andrew Younger to the Provincial Cabinet so a by-election should be announced soon.

That's a shame for that ward in Dartmouth. I mean congrats to Andrew and all, but he was a fantastic concillor with great community involvement. I think he was also pretty much pro-development too. Now he is just a rookie MLA on a non-governing party.

Speaking of development issues, I sure hope Darrell keeps his nutcakes like Howard Epstein on a short leash...

hfx_chris · #**102** Posted: **Jun 10, 2009, 2:21 PM**

Shame HRM couldn't have offloaded Jim Smith while they were at it...

Dmajackson · #**103** Posted: **Jun 11, 2009, 11:10 AM**

Just when you’re sure voting’s over

Thu. Jun 11 - 4:46 AM
Dartmouth-area electors in Halifax Regional Municipality should keep reciting their voting mantra: There’s more ballot box business in the works.

That’s because Coun. Andrew Younger (East Dartmouth-The Lakes) narrowly won a seat for the Liberals in Tuesday’s provincial election, paving the way for a municipal byelection.

Mr. Younger’s district goes from Spider Lake Road to Spring Avenue, includingShubie Park and the Shubenacadie Canal.

A municipal byelection will be held on a Saturday on a date to be approved by Halifax regional council. Mr. Younger has not officially resigned, but that will likely happen soon.

Mr. Younger was acclaimed in the 2008 municipal vote; he said his 2004 council campaign cost about $12,000.

Several candidates are considering a run for his city hall seat, but he declined to name them.

"There’s eight or nine people who’ve mentioned to me that they’re considering it," he said Wednesday.

Four regional councillors ran for higher office Tuesday, but only Mr. Younger emerged victorious. Defeated candidates were Liberal Jim Smith and Conservatives Debbie Hum and Steve Streatch.

The losers get to keep their seats on council.

Barrington south · #**104** Posted: **Jun 11, 2009, 2:19 PM**

hopefully with MacDonald gone, Kelly will move on to the provincial PC party, and finally free HRM of his presence, although that scenario would be a disaster for the PC party...i think

hfx_chris · #**105** Posted: **Jun 11, 2009, 3:48 PM**

Premier Windsock...?

Has a nice ring to it.

MonctonRad · #**106** Posted: **Jun 11, 2009, 9:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barrington south

hopefully with MacDonald gone, Kelly will move on to the provincial PC party, and finally free HRM of his presence.

Noooooooooo.............!!!!!!

That would kill the provincial tories.......a fate worse than death itself.

Also, speaking as a Monctonian..........we truly value Peter Kelly as mayor of HRM!

hfx_chris · #**107** Posted: **Jun 11, 2009, 9:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

NThat would kill the provincial tories.......a fate worse than death itself.

Worse for who?

Oh and if you guys love Kelly so much, you can have him.

Dmajackson · #**108** Posted: **Jun 11, 2009, 9:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Noooooooooo.............!!!!!!

That would kill the provincial tories.......a fate worse than death itself.

Also, speaking as a Monctonian..........we truly value Peter Kelly as mayor of HRM!

I say let him go since the Tories are at record lows anyways. He'll become leader screw them even more somehow and get kicked out. And by that time we will have elected a new mayor and Kelly will be forced to work in the wonderfully working sewage plant he built.

And well of course Moncton would love it. The more Kelly screws up and wastes millions of dollars the better they look.

spaustin · #**109** Posted: **Jun 12, 2009, 3:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

That's a shame for that ward in Dartmouth. I mean congrats to Andrew and all, but he was a fantastic concillor with great community involvement. I think he was also pretty much pro-development too. Now he is just a rookie MLA on a non-governing party.

My thoughts exactly. If I had lived in that riding I would have voted against him precisely because he would do way more good on council. No matter the issue, Younger seemed to always be calm and reasonable. Pity to lose him.

Waye Mason · #**110** Posted: **Jun 13, 2009, 1:39 PM**

Yeah I feel that way too. Loose Andrew to the back bench, keep Steve Stretch on council? Meh.

terrynorthend · #**111** Posted: **Jun 20, 2009, 2:35 AM**

Well interesting... Dexter's cabinet is appointed and Epstein didn't make the cut. The only veteran MLA not to get a department, and even three rookies beat him out. I think this bodes well. Perhaps his not being in the "inner circle" is a harbinger that he and Dexter are very different men.

Dmajackson · #**112** Posted: **Aug 7, 2009, 4:24 AM**

Brown throws hat into District 6 ring
Community volunteer aims to fill Younger’s former seat in byelection
Halifax News Net

By Joanie Veitch – The Weekly News
While most people plan nothing more involved than a summer barbecue or trip to the beach during the dwindling days of summer, Phil Brown is gearing up a campaign to win the District 6 seat in the coming municipal byelection.
District 6 has been vacant since Andrew Younger was elected to represent Dartmouth East in the recent provincial election.
Brown, 42, lives in central Dartmouth with his wife Holly and two sons, eight-year-old Reid and five-year-old Lachlan. He was expected to declare his candidacy this week.
Although Brown is not a resident in the Dartmouth East-The Lakes district, he and his father co-own a seven-unit townhouse on Caledonia Road and Brown’s parents both live in District 6.
“The district isn’t just one place; it’s a suburban area made up of several smaller neighbourhoods. All those neighbourhoods have different needs,” Brown said.
As a Beaver leader with the First Dartmouth Scouts and an active member at St. James United Church on Portland Street, Brown is a committed community volunteer and says he views the leap into municipal politics as the next logical step.
“I like helping people and making communities better,” Brown said. “Politics matters. The policies and actions of council affect people’s everyday lives. I care about Dartmouth and making HRM a better place as a whole.”
Brown is no newbie in the political realm. He ran against Scott Brison in the Kings-Hants riding in the 1997 federal election, worked as a constituency assistant for MLA Marilyn More for more than three years and has volunteered on numerous federal and provincial elections
His wife Holly also works in politics as NDP MP Peter Stoffer’s communications and legislative assistant.
Having seen enough of the behind-the-scenes of political life, Brown is well aware of the huge commitment that comes along with political life.
“We’ve talked with the boys about what it would mean. Our family’s been through lots of campaigns and know how hectic it can be. For example, if I get elected I won’t be able to attend Reid’s Cub night, and that’s too bad. It’s on Tuesdays, and council meets then,” Brown said.
While he plans to meet as many of the 20,000 residents in the district over the coming weeks, Brown already has a few issues he’s interested in taking to council, such as improving public transit and advocating denser development and more affordable housing. Promoting a fair taxation system based on property values is also on his agenda.
Other candidates are also expected to throw their hats in the ring before the August 18 nomination day.
Election day is Sept. 19.
jveitch@gmail.com

BTW can someone rename this thread to Halifax Politics?

Phalanx · #**113** Posted: **Mar 9, 2010, 7:03 PM**

Wasn't sure where to put this really... didn't seem worthy of its own thread, but... I agree with his assessment on Kelly and the current council, if nothing else. He also seems to like stadiums...

Quote:

‘Mayor’ Stoffer would do ‘more than talk about cats’

By STEPHEN MAHER Ottawa Bureau
Tue. Mar 9 - 4:53 AM

OTTAWA — Peter Stoffer is considering running for mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality in 2012.

"You never know," he said Monday. "I’ve learned in politics, you never say never."

Stoffer, the New Democrat MP for Sackville-Eastern Shore, said Monday that people keep mentioning the idea to him and he is giving it serious thought.

Stoffer, who is routinely voted most congenial and best constituency MP on Parliament Hill, has been the MP for his riding since 1997, when he won by 41 votes, on the coattails of then-NDP leader Alexa McDonough. Stoffer, a tireless door knocker, has since won a devoted following in the riding, and in 2008 won by more than 16,000 votes.

He has built his popularity by speaking out on bread and butter issues, speaking up for veterans and the military, and staying in touch with his constituents, even cold-calling strangers from the lobby of the House of Commons.

Stoffer says he likes federal politics and plans to run in the next federal election, which will almost certainly come before the next municipal election, but people do keep asking him about the mayoralty and he finds himself thinking about it. He has discussed the idea with experienced municipal politicians.

"As a mayor, you don’t have any real power in terms of, ‘I’m going to do this,’ " he said. "Your power is convincing others to take a different direction."

Stoffer, who is famously convivial with MPs from different parties, says his track record on the Hill is of co-operating across party lines.

"I’m able to work within my party and with people of different political stripes for the betterment of whatever," he said.

Mayor Peter Kelly easily won elections in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

In 2008, after Halifax gave up on a bid for the Commonwealth Games, Stoffer told The Chronicle Herald that Kelly lacked vision.

"Peter Kelly’s a nice guy," he said then. "He’s very good at parades. He’s very good at doing the political things, but the reality is, I don’t think he has the vision for the city."

On Monday, Stoffer said he thinks Moncton has done more to impress him than Halifax has in recent years.

"I just think our city could do so much more," he said. "I do give Mayor Kelly credit, though. I thought one of the greater things I ever read was the Africville apology."

But the city could do better on other issues, he said.

"I’ve always liked Mayor Kelly," he said. "I’ve always thought he was very decent, but I just think our council can do much more than talk about cats."

( smaher@herald.ca)

fenwick16 · #**114** Posted: **Mar 9, 2010, 10:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalanx

Wasn't sure where to put this really... didn't seem worthy of its own thread, but... I agree with his assessment on Kelly and the current council, if nothing else. He also seems to like stadiums...

According to his brief biography at this link ( http://www.ndp.ca/peterstoffer ) he plays rugby and soccer so he probably would support a stadium. He has a lot of political experience and has lived in various places in Canada and was born in the Netherlands so he has some diversity having experienced different cultures. He certainly seems to be potentially someone who can makes things happen in the HRM. He is also referred to as a door knocker so he must know what is required to get elected.

Phalanx · #**115** Posted: **Mar 17, 2010, 8:02 PM**

Just posting this follow-up article to the Stoffer speculation.

Quote:

Stoffer’s got the political chops to give Kelly run for mayoralty

By MARILLA STEPHENSON
Tue. Mar 16 - 4:53 AM

IS LIKEABLE CHARM enough to cement a win in the next Halifax regional mayoralty race?

Not quite. But when it’s packaged with deep political experience, high popularity and — perhaps most importantly — an off-peninsula political base, it certainly won’t hurt.

Reaction to musings about running for mayor by federal NDP MP Peter Stoffer was broadly received as good news. There has been quite a buzz of attention, most of it thumbs-up, for the chance to throw a mayoral vote in Stoffer’s direction.

An online poll by News 95.7 was running 74 per cent in Stoffer’s favour Monday afternoon. The question was: Would you vote for Sackville-Eastern Shore MP Peter Stoffer if he ran for mayor of HRM?

The 13-year MP brings something to the table that has been lacking in others who have tried and failed to unseat Kelly: a strong base of political support that is not rooted in the former city of Halifax, and, more specifically, not on the Halifax peninsula.

Kelly has very smartly managed to play to the large municipality’s urban and rural bases with a thinly veiled anti-Halifax style of leadership. We are not Halifax; we are HRM. We are a community of communities, and by the way there are at least 100 of us.

Good grief, no wonder the city — may we even call it that? — is suffering from an identity crisis.

The divide-and-conquer approach has added up to voting numbers that have delivered Kelly bedrock support and huge political majorities against "Halifax" candidates. It may be 14 years since four municipalities merged into one, but old resentments die hard and it’s impossible not to trip over old political boundaries.

Unfortunately, attempts at progress for what should be Atlantic Canada’s booming business capital have been hindered by the sheer size of the municipal region, along with an oversized, underachieving regional council that Kelly has done little to motivate.

None of this fractious foolishness would matter should Stoffer make good on his threat to enter the next race in 2012. He is not linked to strong support from the downtown business community or the south-end universities. This would be a good thing in a race against Kelly.

Stoffer is known as an absolute workhorse MP, never saw a telephone he didn’t like and never passed a hand he might have shaken. He lives in Fall River, worked for years at Canadian Airlines and has a firm grasp on regional commercial and transportation matters.

He has already said publicly council is too big, that Kelly — while being a nice guy — is lacking vision and that council should do more than talk about cats. Surely even with that miniscule bit of stating the obvious, Stoffer’s attractiveness to voters would only go up.

"I’ve always liked Mayor Kelly," he told The Chronicle Herald last week. "I’ve always thought he was very decent, but I just think our council can do much more than talk about cats."

Meow, gentlemen.

Stoffer has been a longtime military booster, to the point where he has clashed with NDP Leader Jack Layton. Just coincidentally, his federal MP’s pension would pretty much max out in time for him to get off the airplanes to Ottawa and back on the familiar tracks of the Halifax region in time for a 2012 election run.

It’s a long way off, but if Stoffer takes the plunge, he may have the best chance of knocking off Kelly of any candidate who made a run for the Halifax mayoralty in the past decade.

( mstephenson@herald.ca)