2010 grade: D 2009 grade: D Reg Rankin reportedly has a drinking problem. People have told me they’ve seen him visibly intoxicated at official functions, and Rankin was the main subject of mayor Peter Kelly’s secret memo about “excessive drinking.” Earlier this year, Rankin allegedly was drunk at a police function and said rude things […]
Tim Bousquet
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dawn Sloane
2010 grade: B+ 2009 grade: B 2008 grade: B 2007 grade: B- Dawn Sloane has put the winter parking ban issue front and centre at council, and for good reason. The parking ban is the epitome of horrible government practices: it is overly broad and heavy-handed, treats citizens as if they have not a lick […]
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Steve Streatch
2010 grade: D 2009 grade: F 2008 grade: F 2007 grade: F Oh, Steve Streatch. Last year I gave Streatch his first non-failing grade, a D, to reward his opposition to “tax reform”—an easy stance since his district would’ve seen taxes double, but still. And when he said sensible things about the convention centre, I […]
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Sue Uteck
2010 grade: C 2009 grade: C+ 2008 grade: B- 2007 grade: B In March, Sue Uteck’s dog, a 135-pound bullmastiff named Homer, jumped on a woman in Point Pleasant Park and broke both the woman’s arms. The story was spun in the Chronicle-Herald to portray Uteck as caring and quick-witted, going to extra lengths to […]
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Barry Dalrymple
2010 grade: D- 2009 grade: D If you’re ever looking for the stereotypical disagreeable ex-cop, a guy who chews marbles when he speaks and has no time for sensitive feefees, Barry Dalrymple is your man. Don’t get me wrong: Dalrymple’s put-upon disposition and no-patience-for-fools manner are his good points. But Dalrymple earns a failing grade […]
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Bob Harvey
2010 grade: C- 2009 grade: B- 2008 grade: B+ 2007 grade: B+ Bob Harvey didn’t do much of anything this past year; he seems to be just calling it in. He did makes some noteworthy votes—noteworthy because they were wrong: in favour of the convention centre, for a smaller council, refusing to stop the Washmill […]
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David Hendsbee
2010 grade: D 2009 grade: C 2008 grade: D 2007 grade: D+ David Hendsbee is the Brindi the dog of Halifax council. Brindi, who is one of Hendsbee’s constituents, found and exploited a crack in the bylaws and inserted her unmuzzled snout into it, costing the city a bundle in lawyers’ fees, so maybe Hendsbee […]
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Jennifer Watts
2010 grade: A- 2009 grade: B Last year I gave Jennifer Watts an A-. It was the first time any councillor had entered A-land, and I’ve been feeling kind of weird about it ever since. So I was happy to bring her down a tad this year. Call it a social demotion. Watts remains an […]
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Lorelei Nicoll
2010 grade: C 2009 grade: C- Lorelei Nicoll is super-nice, means well and doesn’t break anything. So this is a solid C, a respectable if unremarkable grade. We could do a hell of a lot worse than Nicoll. She usually ends up on the right side of the issues and appears to have empathy for […]
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Gloria McCluskey
2010 grade: B+ 2009 grade: B- 2008 grade: B 2007 grade: C Gloria McCluskey is irreplaceable. With her long stints as mayor of the former city of Dartmouth and as an assessor, McCluskey brings history, perspective and knowledge to council discussions that literally no one else has. She was an invaluable resource, for example, in […]
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Debbie Hum
2010 grade: D- 2009 grade: D+ 2008 grade: C+ 2007 grade: C+ Last year, I was sincerely worried about Debbie Hum, who was sobbing at nearly every council meeting. Sure, council debates can get depressing, but outright crying because someone objects to the second bullet in subclause three in section 428 is a bit over […]
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Peter Kelly
2010 grade: C 2009 grade: C- 2008 grade: D 2007 grade: D In past years, I understood mayor Peter Kelly to be the likable bumbling fool. That version of Kelly was OK with me: the mayoralty is a mostly powerless position, so having a goofball in the office might be frustrating when you want somebody […]