Councillors toss their names in for provincial election

By Jon Tattrie - The Weekly News
As Nova Scotians brace themselves for another provincial election, two Dartmouth councillors are taking the opportunity to try and swap their seats at City Hall for places at Province House.
Jim Smith, councillor for Albro Lake-Harbourview, and Andrew Younger, East Dartmouth-The Lakes, will both run for the Liberal party in the next election, though they can keep their city seats if they fall short.
"I've thought about it for a long time and the day has come," Smith said last week. He's been in municipal politics for nine years and is eager for new challenges. "One could do a little more if one was in the provincial level."
Smith had been associated with the NDP, but switched to the Liberals. "Over the last couple of years, I've been disillusioned with some of (the NDP's policies) and was approached by other parties. I decided the Liberal party was more in line with the kind of approach I take with matters."
He said the "broader" Liberal party is more financially prudent and has less of a "fringe element" than the NDP. "They are a socially conscious party … but they also understand that the commercial sector needs to be supported because if we don't support that sector, it's harder to find the taxes to support the other sector of people."
He's been out canvassing already and says he's "as ready as I can be."
Younger said a lot of residents wondered why he hadn't already made the jump.
"When rumours surfaced that I was considering throwing my hat into the ring, I was flooded with emails and phone calls from residents - many of whom had never been involved in party politics - encouraging me to run and offering to help," he said.
Younger said he wants to be an MLA because many of the things he sought to do on a municipal level (notably in energy and culture) have been thwarted by "short-term thinking" at the provincial level.
"The most important thing for Nova Scotia is to have a plan for the future and implement policies and legislation that make Nova Scotia competitive. I believe in a Nova Scotia where we take care of our families and citizens, and are leaders in innovation. We can be a world leader, yet I don't see the desire to achieve that from either the Tories or the NDP," he said.
He compared Rodney MacDonald's Progressive Conservatives to the old Reform party and said the NDP has done little for Dartmouthians in its role as official opposition.
"On many of the issues of local concern to my constituency, it's the Liberals who have taken these issues forward. Issues such as improving the environment act, stabilizing energy prices and addressing critical infrastructure needs."
Opposition parties toppled the Rodney MacDonald government in a legislative vote Monday. The 28-20 defeat kicked off a spring election campaign. Nova Scotians will head to the polls on June 9.
jon@jontattrie.ca