'I’ll be on the job hunt': Three Halifax councillors not seeking re-election reflect on their tenures, challenges facing municipality

Halifax City Hall is seen Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (Source: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lyndsay Armstrong)

Eight years ago, Lindell Smith didn’t see himself in the world of politics, despite his name appearing on a list of eligible candidates for the Halifax Peninsula North riding. Smith was encouraged to run in District 8 in the Halifax Regional Municipality by the previous councillor, but he didn’t expect to make a full run for office until he started to drum up interest.

“I thought initially it was about showing the community that you can put your name forward even if you don’t have a background in politics,” Smith said. “I didn’t think it’d turn into a serious thing. As I started to organize and campaign, I saw there was a lot of support.”

Smith was elected to council in 2016. That same year, former reporter Lisa Blackburn also found herself on the campaign trail for the Middle/Upper Sackville-Beaver Bank-Lucasville riding. When she heard the results, she was as surprised as anyone else she’d secured the victory for District 14.

“Statistically speaking, I should not be here,” she said. “In 2016, I was a first-time candidate, a woman, and I was going against an incumbent. It was an incredible opportunity.”

In 2008, Tim Outhit won a byelection for the Bedford-Wentworth riding. He said his work with MLAs and MPs led to him throwing his hat into the ring for District 16.

“I was always involved in politics,” he said. “I was a history and political science major. I moved back to Halifax in 2000 and became involved with the homeowners association.”

Smith, Blackburn, and Outhit may have entered municipal politics for different reasons, but this October they’re all leaving the same way: Not running for re-election.

“It was time for me to move on,” Outhit said.

Evolving issues

In 2016, Blackburn and Smith saw development and population growth as major issues for their ridings and the municipality as a whole.

“Around that time the Ivany report came out that warned Nova Scotia that we’re old and grey and dying,” Blackburn said. “We’d be an economy on decline. Fast-forward to 2024 and we’re growing by leaps and bounds and it’s a completely different set of problems.

“This population boom wasn’t anticipated. It was our aspiration to grow the population but we didn’t envision it growing as much as it has. Nobody forecast we’d get as many people as we have.”

Smith said the surging population in Halifax has put pressure on affordability and services in his riding.

“Growth is happening at a rate that’s hard to keep up with,” he said. “People really want to be in the north end and that’s making it more expensive. The north end’s always been an area with lots of services. We’re seeing those services stretched even more.”

Outhit said he also identified growth and development as key challenges for the municipality in 2008.

“When I was first elected, the biggest problem was we didn’t see any growth and a lot of our graduates were leaving and the downtown hadn’t seen any development,” he said. “Downtown was a doughnut hole where all the development happened in the suburbs.

“In my district there hadn’t been any rec centres for a long time despite our growth. We needed facilities and infrastructure to accommodate our growth. We have growth now but we have to make sure the facilities and infrastructure are there.”

Blackburn noted a unique issue for her riding is the need for more road exits in the wake of the devastating 2023 wildfires.

“When I look at the community of Beaver Bank, one of the big things is a secondary exit out of the community,” she said. “The wildfires drove home the fact we’re extremely vulnerable with one road in and one road out. People are concerned about that. Those concerns are also in Lucasville.”

Decision to leave

The moment they stepped into the council chambers in 2016, both Blackburn and Smith knew their terms would have fixed expiration dates. Their desire to let newer voices into council fueled their decision.

“I said from the beginning: two terms and I’d be done,” Blackburn said. “In 2020 we were able to reach gender parity for the first time. It was meaningful to be part of that historic council. I’d love to see that again. The more balanced that approach is, the better off we all are.”

Smith similarly gave himself a deadline of two terms, and while he briefly considered extending it, he ultimately decided to step down this year.

“Two terms is important to stick to to allow for different perspectives and voices,” he said. “Being a politician was not part of my plan so I knew two terms was enough.

“The pandemic solidified it. What we saw with the pandemic was politicians become targets for harassment and hate. That solidified for me that I don’t want to be a target for hate.”

Outhit said he wanted to stay as a councillor until his riding reached a few big milestones. With the Bedford-Halifax ferry and other projects getting off the ground, he felt now was the time to say goodbye.

“There are going to be a lot of things and people I’ll miss,” he said. “It does get in your blood.”

Council advice

The Halifax municipal council will look drastically different come October. Mayor Mike Savage is stepping down from the role after he was first elected in 2012. Councillors Waye Mason and Pam Lovelace have announced their intentions to seek the mayor’s seat, leaving their ridings open for new faces.

At minimum, there will be five new councillors in city hall after the election on Oct. 19.

Outhit said he’s spoken to several candidates vying for his spot to hear their visions for the district and offer some advice.

“There’s a huge learning curve,” he said. “There’s a baptism by fire on budget season. All of them bring skillsets and experience to the table. It’s going to be a busy time.”

Smith encourages future councillors to seek out multiple viewpoints from constituents before making decisions.

“The biggest piece of advice is that it’s OK to take some time to get perspectives,” he said. “When you’re in a role it’s easy to make decisions based on one point of view. My advice is to take some time to look at all sides of it.

“Our municipality is very large demographically, so you get rural, urban representation in council, you get those different perspectives. Members of those different areas are reaching out to different councillors. We’re seeing rural residents reaching out to urban or suburban councillors. We’re here to represent all residents.”

Life after council

Blackburn, Smith, and Outhit said they’re looking forward to the next stages of their careers post-council, even if they’re uncertain what they’ll do.

“I’m blowing the dust off my resume and seeing what’s out there,” Blackburn said. “I certainly could see myself as an executive director of a non-profit.”

“I jokingly say I’m too young and too poor to do nothing,” Outhit said. “We’ll see what comes next.”

“I’ll be on the job hunt,” Smith said. “If anyone has some jobs for me, please send me an email and let me know.”

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