Mayoral candidates promise more transparency
Posted Oct 3, 2012 06:48:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Voters are demanding more transparency and accountability from the next mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality.
During the latest mayoral debate Tuesday night, candidates were pressed on whether they would make more city expenditures public, including their own campaign contributions, and how they would move forward with the controversial World Trade Centre Project.
The most-spirited debate was sparked by the ongoing issue of which candidates are willing to disclose who their election supporters are ahead of the Oct. 20 vote.
Perceived frontrunner and former federal Member of Parliament Mike Savage said he would do so only after the election.
“The purpose of disclosing donors is so that no favour of benefit can be given to a person or a party for giving a donation to you,” said Savage. He argued there is no benefit to the public knowing ahead of the election who has contributed to a candidate’s campaign.
“Let’s change the system and make it better, but let’s follow the rules that we all agreed to,” said Savage.
During previous debates, retired homicide investigator Tom Martin has specifically called on Savage to disclose his sponsors, and Tuesday night’s debate was another opportunity to press the issue.
“If we’re all going to carry this banner or this huge sign that says ‘I’m transparent,’ ‘I’m for transparency,’ ‘Vote for me,’ put your money where your mouth is,” said Martin. He has pledged to make all his campaign contributions public before the end of the week.
North end entrepreneur and hair stylist Fred Connors was the comedic favourite of the evening and wasn’t shy about who has been sponsoring his campaign.
“Sidney Crosby is a very good friend of mine, so I am dying to let people know who has funded my campaign,” he said, receiving a few laughs from the audience.
Another contentious issue continues to be fallout from the cash for concerts scandal after the city funneled $400,000 in unauthorized loan money to concert promoter Harold MacKay for the 2010 Black Eye Peas and Alan Jackson concert.
An auditor general’s report further revealed that Trade Centre Ltd. had transferred a multi-million-dollar ticket sale operation out of the city’s operation. The report comes as the city prepares to sign new contracts with TCL to operate the new Convention Centre building.
“If someone within my organization spent $600,000 unauthorized dollars, they would be in big trouble,” said Connors.
Martin said he had misgivings about the way the new convention centre was approved.
“The public had no input whatsoever into this, and I would love for us as a municipality to go back over, right to the box office situation. I’d love to go back to that and do an audit,” said Martin.
Savage said he wouldn’t want another exhaustive audit, but would like to see reform on the TCL board.
“I don’t think there should be city councillors on that board,” said Savage. “I think we should have people on those boards who have some expertise in this area, who understand that they report back to city council. They’re not there for free tickets. They are not there to just sit in committee, but actually there to represent the city in a better manner.”
The transparency issue continued to present itself throughout the debate as panelists pressed candidates to commit to making the city’s expenses, salaries and contracts public, as other municipalities and the province already do online.
There was a consensus from all the candidates, including newcomer Aaron Eisses, that the information should be made public.
The debate was hosted by the Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia, The Coast and the Metro Student Community Coalition at the Dalhousie Student Union Building.
