city council report card

Cell: 476-1234 Grade this year: C Grade last year: D Brad Johns hasn’t fared well in these report cards, having received two Ds in a row. At his insistence, I spent a day in Sackville, as Johns showed me around the district and introduced me to people. We visited a remarkable old school that has […]

Cell: 478-2705 Grade this year: C- Grade last year: N/A Lorelei Nicoll replaces the absolutely horrendous Harry McInroy, the repeat “F” councillor who retired last year, and for that alone Nicoll should gain the eternal gratitude of the people of Cole Harbour. For her part, Nicoll is gracious, perhaps to a fault. As a council […]

Cell: 488-4820 Grade this year: B- Grade last year: B+ Everyone likes Bob Harvey. How could you not? A gentleman, kind even in defeat, an old-style statesman if there ever was one. But Harvey could use the respect and status he’s earned over the years to better advantage. For example, he personally understands the value […]

Phone: 490-5679 Grade this year: C Grade last year: Incomplete At the time of last year’s report card, Tim Outhit had been sitting on council just two weeks. “Outhit hasn’t had enough time to find his council legs, much less define himself politically or demonstrate how he will represent his constituency,” I wrote at the […]

Cell: 476-1727 Grade this year: C- Grade last year: B- Ah, Andrew Younger. Always with an opinion, whether one’s required or not. That’s not a fault, necessarily—we could only wish other councillors were half as engaged. And as Younger was unopposed in the October elections, he seems to resonate with his constituency; alternatively, his in-your-face […]

Cell: 499-3744 Grade this year: D+ Grade last year: D Reg Rankin has a lot of experience. He was around for the landfill crisis in the ’90s, which led to the creation of Halifax’s recycling program. He understands the issues related to amalgamation and has been involved in the tax reform effort. But saying he […]

Cell: 476-1855 Grade this year: C+ Grade last year: C I complained last year that Karsten plays “process cop” at council meetings, an irksome habit that continues unabated. But the same personality trait led him to closely examine the whys and wherefores behind a proposal to change the way the city figures transit taxes, with […]

Cell: 497-7508 Grade this year: C- Grade last year: N/A District 23 is free of Gary Meade! They should hold a parade and launch fireworks each October to mark the anniversary of Meade’s retirement. And I’m hoping that his replacement, Peter Lund, poured salt on Meade’s former chair before occupying it, killing whatever pestilence may […]