2013 grade: A-
2012 grade: C+
2011 grade: B+
2010 grade: A-
2009 grade: B
Cell: 497-4748
With Waye Mason, Jennifer Watts cast a symbolic vote against expanding the Bayers Lake business park. She also made a poignant comment on the disposition of the former Northcliffe Rec Centre in Clayton Park: The city will lose over a million dollars by keeping the site as open space, rather than sell it for development, and yet no one bats an eye. Watts supported the greenspace position, but pointed out the double standard when it comes to city spaces in poor urban areas, like St. Pat’s-Alexandra school.
Watts’ shining moment, however, was a failed attempt to reverse a planned 25-cent increase in bus fares, trying to shift the burden over to property taxes. She couched the proposition in all the right moral, social and political terms, but still a council majority ignored her. We would’ve awarded Watts a solid A, were it not for her embrace of the idea of cutting the recyclable deposit in half.
This article appears in May 9-15, 2013.
The work of an award-winning journalist, ladies and gentlemen. Watts is always on the wrong side of any issue, but she is compatible with the writer’s political views, so she gets a superstar rating despite her ineffectiveness.
I was born & raised in North End Halifax, now part of District 8 Peninsula North, and for me she has done nothing for the North End since the election.
From what I see her focus is strictly on the Central part of her district, which is where I believe she was counsellor before the boundary shuffle.
I fear for the North End as we have no voice speaking for us in counsel meetings, I know of several people that have tried to get hold of her on issues ranging from trashcans to the new Liquor Commission on Novalea Dr. and to this day she has not responded.
So for this resident she gets a big “F”.
I don’t understand why the author thinks raising property tax rather than increasing the bus fair is a good idea. I suppose he takes the bus and so is biased in his opinion that someone else should foot the bill whether they use the service or not. I do not use the service and so am against biased against the property tax. Regardless of my bias I do believe that people using service should in most cases support them. Obviously exceptions for major expenses need to be distributed amongst the tax base, but a 25 cent increase is not a major expense. I would like to know the proposed increase to property tax, though it would likely make me cringe. Needless to say, I’m glad the councillor failed in her proposition.