Some crowded ballots are coming together for election day in HRM.
Longtime broadcaster Lisa Blackburn has announced her campaign for District 14, joining 51 other council candidates (plus three more contenders for mayor) hoping to win your vote on October 15.
The 25-plus-year radio veteran was a morning co-host and news anchor for Newcap Radio. She worked for a decade with her husband Jamie Paterson at Lite 92.9 before the duo were laid-off and started their own podcast (dubbed the Halifax Daily News).
Currently, Blackburn works as a web editor and writer for CBC, though Pat Healy with The Laker reports she’ll be taking a leave of absence as she runs against veteran incumbent Brad Johns and fellow council challenger Kevin Copley in the race for Middle/Upper Sackville—Beaver Bank—Lucasville.
“Volunteer work and public service has been a major part of my entire life and I see running for council as a natural continuation of this work,” writes Blackburn in a press release.
Elsewhere in HRM, judicial assistant Iona Stoddard has announced her candidacy in the crowded race to replace Reg Rankin in District 12.
Stoddard joins Scott Guthrie, John Bignell, Richard Zurawski and Bruces Holland and E. Smith in the battle for Timberlea—Beechville—Clayton Park—Wedgewood.
Four city councillors—Barry Dalrymple, Gloria McCluskey, Jennifer Watts and Rankin—aren’t re-offering this fall. Predictably, those four vacant districts are seeing the largest herd of candidates step forward to battle for city hall.
There are six candidates each in District 12, District 8 (Halifax Peninsula North) and District 1 (Waverley—Fall River—Musquodoboit Valley), and eight names on the ticket in District 5 (Dartmouth Centre).
Last go around, seven contenders were vying for Dartmouth Centre. There were also six candidates for District 2 (Preston—Porters Lake—Eastern Shore), six for mayor and five candidates running in District 7 (Halifax South Downtown) in 2012's election.
There were no uncontested contests four years ago either. As of Tuesday, both Lorelei Nicoll in District 4 (Cole Harbour—Westphal) and Tim Outhit in District 16 (Bedford—Wentworth) are without challengers.
Candidates have until September 13 to file their nomination papers and officially place their names on the ballot for the October 15 election.
