With advanced polls for the upcoming municipal election getting underway this week, The Weekly News is offering voters a snapshot of candidates running in your district.
Voters can cast an electronic or phone ballot during the advanced voting period anywhere, anytime starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 and ending 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18. Alternatively, voters can vote in person on Election Day, Saturday, Oct. 20 (paper ballots only) from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
District 2 – Preston – Porters Lake – Eastern Shore
Laurie Cook – cookforcouncil.com
Why should I vote for you?
Laurie: “I really enjoy helping people solve problems. Figuring out how HRM is supposed to work and then helping others navigate that system is something I enjoy doing. I also enjoy helping great ideas grow and I’ve been involved in the community visioning process here in Musquodoboit Harbour.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Laurie: “Our environment. We live in a beautiful natural environment and it’s very important to people all along the shore and even though we have some growth pressure, especially on Lake Echo and Porters Lake I hear from different people that it’s important to preserve our natural environment and that it is taken care of as we move forward.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Laurie: “One of the biggest things people are upset about is the tax system and if I could pick another one, would be community transportation. In both cases, people feel that they are paying for something and not getting the appropriate services and that has to be looked at carefully.”
Will Gilligan – willgilligan.com
Why should I vote for you?
Will: “You should vote for me because I’ll be the voice of the people, I have strong community involvement and I’m a strong leader.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Will: “The people and their passion for the community.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Will: “Recreation. The thing about my district is that there are so many communities and it’s such a large district, stretching more than 150 kilometres. The one common factor from people I’ve talked to all across the region is the lack of available recreation facilities.”
David Hendsbee (incumbent) – hendsbee.ns.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Hendsbee: “I’m the only candidate that has vast experience with city hall in regards to how it operates as well as making sure that the local projects and issues are dealt with effectively. There would be no time lost with trying to get up to speed.”
Name on great thing about your district:
Hendsbee: “The beautiful shoreline. We’re blessed with some of the most amazing beaches in the area and a great community.”
What is something in your district that needs to be improved?
Hendsbee: “Transportation and infrastructure is one of the biggest things, the gateway leading to and from the Eastern Shore, working on Main Street and now to make that safer. But we need to work with the province to improve our highways any byways to make them safer. We need transit availability extended.”
Jason Josey – facebook.com/pages/Jason-Josey-for- Councillor-District-2/334054726631298
Why should I vote for you?
Jason: “Because I plan to represent the entire district, not just certain parts of it. I plan on being fair and honest with everyone and will do the best job that I can.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Jason: “The potential of the area, the growth of the area, but mostly the people. The people are the best.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Jason: “Highways, there’s a lot of rough byroads that need improving.”
Keith Leahy – info@keithforcouncillor.com (email)
Why should I vote for you?
Leahy: “I’m a lifelong resident of the Eastern Shore, worked her for my entire career, I’m self-employed and I’m also a volunteer firefighter.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Leahy: “All of the beautiful beaches.”
What is something that needs improving in your district?
Leahy: “Recreation. For the youth, the seniors and in between. It’s lacking in facilities and also we need more programs for the youth and seniors.”
Gail McQuarrie – facebook.com/gail.mcquarrie
Why should I vote for you?
McQuarrie: “I believe a councilor is more of a community service worker as opposed to a politician, or at least should be. Councilors are grass roots people, your front yard political liaison. And I’ve spent 35 years in community service, whether that’s recreation or group homes or teaching, the list goes on. As a result of that plus my education I think it gives me a leg up on all of the other candidates.
Name one great thing about your district:
McQuarrie: “The people.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
McQuarrie: “Promotion of tourism. The Eastern Shore, in my opinion, has resources that are untapped and have been left since the whole amalgamation process. We’re just not utilizing that.”
District 3 – Woodside – Dartmouth South – Eastern Passage
Jackie Barkhouse (incumbent) – jackiebarkhouse.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Jackie: “Over the past four years I have proven to be a successful community builder, and a strong progressive voice on regional council.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Jackie: “The amazing seacoast, lakes, and beautiful natural environment.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Jackie: “Transit routes and connections to better meet the needs of residents, as well as bike lanes and pathways that improve connectivity and safety. We also need to better utilize our harbour resource through expanded ferry service and water taxis.”
Bill Karsten (incumbent) – billkarsten2012.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Karsten: “Often a good indicator of what you can expect from a person is their past performance and certainly the residents in my current district have known me to be accessible, available and responsive to their concerns and questions. So I think the simply answer is my past performance and track record and the experience I bring to the table.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Karsten: “The greatest thing about my district is the people. I’ve said this time and time again; they’re caring, certainly look after each other and there’s really no tensions between communities.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Karsten: “The transportation network. It is the single largest item that I focus on and I commit all of my energy on. The connector road from Caldwell Road to Mount Hope Interchange, I’ve been working on that for the past two years.”
Jim MacDonald – www.jimfordistrict3.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Jim: “Just looking at the track record of the last council, I think anybody who has a chance to put a new voice on things for the HRM council should take that opportunity. I’ve been a resident of District 3 all of my life and I’ve always been active in my community.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Jim: “The volunteerism in the community, it brings us together.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Jim: “It needs a development plan that is much more involved than the current Municipal Planning Strategy, so that they’re not just piling people into an area.”
District 4 – Cole Harbour – Westphal
Many predicted that incumbent Nicoll would be acclaimed in her district, but when nominations closed, she had two challengers. However, on Sept. 13 HRM's returning officer declared Angela Jones' bid for the seat ineligible saying the HRM lawyer had not given sufficient notice of her intentions under the Municipal Election Act. A court decision on the matter was not reached as of press time.
Lorelei Nicoll (Incumbent) – engagingcoleharbour.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Nicoll: “I would say because I’ve invested a lot of time and energy into creating what I feel what District 4 needs to be. Today I’ve heard from people who said ‘you know, I’ve lived here for 40 years, and I’ve never felt connected to the community, but I really feel now that Cole Harbour has a sense of community.’ I take that and listen to it and remember that was what I set out to do many years ago, prior to being a councilor in creating the Cole Harbour Harvest Festival to give people that sense of belonging.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Nicoll: “The people.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Nicoll: “All of our streets and roads. Cole Harbour developed almost all at once, in the 70’s. Some streets came later and there are still new areas being added now. But when an area is built all at once, it ages all at once, so therefore the pressure to get it fixed is always there.”
Angela Jones – facebook.com/AngelaJonesForColeHarbourWestphal
Why should I vote for you?
Jones: “You should vote for me because I have such a strong municipal background, having worked as a municipal lawyer for the past 15 years, I know how the city runs inside and out, I know how to get things done within the city so there’s absolutely no learning curve if I was elected. I know everyone in every department, I’ve worked with staff in all facets of the municipality and I don’t think any other candidate has those qualifications.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Jones: “The people of the district are wonderful. I’ve been impressed with just how well informed and friendly the people are. It’s a thriving community and I think it could be a great place for business opportunities which isn’t being promoted to the extent that it should be.”
What is something that needs to be improved in your district?
Jones: “There are many things, but one of the main things is transportation and traffic. There’s some serious problem with bus routes out there. It’s a direct line from Cole Harbour to Burnside and yet it’s taking people one and a half hours to take a bus to get out to Burnside, it doesn’t make sense.”
Barry Smith – facebook.com/barrysmith2012
Why should I vote for you?
Smith: “You should vote for me because I am prepared to listen and react to what the people need to improve the district and family life for all.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Smith: “The best thing about my community is the people and great family orientated involvement.”
What is something in your district that needs improvement?
Smith: “One thing that really needs to be improved in District 4 is the main roadways and the connectors for safety reasons.”
District 5 – Dartmouth Centre
Gloria McCluskey (incumbent) – gloriamccluskey.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Gloria: “I think you should vote for me based on my past performance. I’ve worked well for Dartmouth, for HRM and I’ve represented the people very well and I’m hearing that at the doors.”
Name on great thing about your district:
Gloria: “The beautiful Lake Banook.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
“We have lots of infrastructure that needs improving. Streets, sidewalks need to replaced, but we’re working on that.”
Sam Austin – samaustin.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Austin: “I have the educational background, a master’s degree in urban planning, I’ve got work experience, I bring a fresh perspective to the table and I think I have a good read as to where we need to go in Dartmouth.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Austin: “The downtown has so much potential to be just great, it’s probably my number one, just the potential of our downtown here.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Austin: “Downtown. Haha.”
Ken Bowman - kenforhrmcouncil.com
Why should I vote for you?
Bowman: “I’m bringing something different to council and I’m bringing financial experience and I care about the issues of HRM.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Bowman: “One of the best places to live in the HRM.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Bowman: “The waterfront. It needs to be cleaned up, it is coming along, we’ve got King’s Wharf there, but the other areas need to be cleaned up and made more attractive.”
Sonya Dudka – sonyadudka.com
Why should I vote for you?
Dudka: “I bring a depth of experience to the job. I have a master’s degree in public administration, I have 22 years of senior management experience plus I have over 30 years experience in the political process, working federally, provincially and municipally. I want to take all experience and bring it to City Hall and make it work.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Dudka: “We are the other side of the downtown core of HRM and I think it’s a fabulous spot and a great opportunity for growth.”
What is something in your district that needs to be improved?
Dudka: “We absolutely need to take a look at our recreational facilities in particular, we in downtown Dartmouth have not had a new facility built in over 30 years. We have aging rinks on the verge of collapse and we desperately need new ones. We are also one of the few communities in HRM without a skateboard park, also our walking trails, playgrounds, all need to be upgraded because we have not focused on that enough.”
Bryn Jones-Vaillancourt – bryndartcentre.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Jones-Vaillancourt: “I believe I am one of the few candidates to seriously put people first. My focus is on improving our community and making things better for everyone, not just a select group. And I’ll work hard to make sure voices across Dartmouth Centre are heard.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Jones-Vaillancourt: “The Dartmouth Commons.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Jones-Vaillancourt: “The lack of affordable and accessible places to play, such as playgrounds, off-leash dog parks and better options for recreation for everyone.”
Kate Watson - kwatson.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Watson: “I came into this election having watched a lot of council and public meetings and I came away with the overwhelming feeling that something a politician needs and maybe not many have, is the ability to listen. It’s not that I have all of the ideas, it’s that I can listen to the ideas of the people that live in my district.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Watson: “I would have to say that we have this really great resource in the Alderney Landing complex, it brings together people for the market, the plays, the art gallery. I would say Alderney is the heart of our district and it’s a really great thing about it.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Watson: “The thing I hear at a lot of doorsteps is that we need to make active transport more possible. We need to improve the way people bike, to make it safer for cyclists and I definitely think we need to find a way to connect the great trails that we have.”
Bill Zebedee - zebedee.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Zebedee: “I have experience. Back in the 80’s and 90’s I worked for three MLA’s in Alberta and my sole job was to advocate in favour of the constituents who called the office and primarily that’s what a councilor does, try to work through the minutia and red tape to try to help their constituents.”
Name one great thing about your district:
“The green space that we do have.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
“The active transportation issue.”
District 6 – Harbourview – Burnside – Dartmouth East
Incumbent vs. former provincial politician should make this an interesting race to follow. The other previous challenger, who ran for mayor in 2008, has decided to drop out for personal reasons.
Darren Fisher (incumbent) - darrenfisher.ca
Why Should I vote for you?
Fisher: “I’m young and energetic and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Fisher: “It’s the most beautiful of all of the districts, and it’s got Shubie Park.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Fisher: “The attention to detail are lacking and I am an attention to detail person. I would pay strict attention to the things that have been missed. There’s an awful lot of things that have been missed in the expanded district, whether it be a by-law, municipal office, or any level of staffing that needed to look at certain things.”
Jerry Pye - jerrypye.ca
Why should I vote for you?
Pye: “I’m a trusted and experienced politician having served at two levels, both at the municipal and provincial governments.”
Name one great thing about your district:
Pye: “The diversity of my district, the demographics suggest that everyone in this community make up the entire community, there’s a great difference of individuals.”
What is something in your district that needs improving?
Pye: “I think there is a serious matter that needs improvement and that is community revitalization. There are a couple of areas in my community that I think need to be looked at both by the municipality and the province of Nova Scotia to come up with some form of incentive program that allows the citizens in these communities to live and be able to obtain home ownership, and that is the community of Pinecrest Road and the Churchill - Kennedy area.”
