Mayor on the Spot: A Political Perspective

Robin Young  //  September 21, 2012

The deadline has come and gone for candidates in the HRM mayoral election race to pass in their registration forms. With the passing of this important date there have been a number of intriguing developments.

Corporate Research Associates released a poll showing that 65% of Haligonians would support Mike Savage for mayor compared to 15% and 10% for his nearest competitors, Tom Martin and Fred Connors. respectively. Two fringe candidates, Dalhousie student Matt Worona and former Cape Breton Regional Municipality councilor Vince Hall (who both polled at under 5%), dropped out of the race, while three new candidates registered their candidacy.

Mayor on the Spot, hosted by Fusion Halifax, gave the three headliner candidates (the new entrants decided not to participate for various reasons) a chance to respond, one at a time, to interview-style questions on their qualifications, values, and vision for the city of Halifax. This dialogue was followed by a networking session during which people could talk to the candidates one-on-one.

Following, I’ll give a rundown of each candidate and make comments on their performance during the interview portion of the event as well as during a quick one-on-one meeting I had with each.

 

FRED CONNORS
Who is he?	Entrepreneur, fashion expert/designer, and former TV star. Fred has an undeniably forceful personality and unique image. He is confident (cocky?), energetic articulate and passionate, but has no political experience to speak of.
How did he do in the interview?	Fred was impressive on stage. The first thing you notice is that he is not at all shy and truly embraces the limelight. He made a number of strong points and his style and enthusiasm made him stand out. He had a few great sound bites such as when he said: “Halifax should not be a historical Disney Land for tourists, it’s got to be somewhere our young people will want to live in 20 years time”. That said, he did have a couple of slip ups as well such as when he admitted his biggest challenge is his hate of studying/reading documents and other written material.
How did he do in the one-on-one meeting?	Fred did a good job engaging and making a personal connection when we met. His enthusiasm really shone through and his energy was contagious while speaking with him. However, he also interrupted and talked over me a number of times, leading me to believe that he would not be someone that would be very easy to work alongside.
TOM MARTIN
Who is he?	Mr. Martin is a retired police officer, having worked with the force for over 20 years. He has served as National Director for a local company, with responsibility for over 1000 employees, and now owns his own consulting/investigation business. He resides on a farm in rural HRM. Tom has based his campaign on his sound values, leadership abilities and accountability.
How did he do in the interview?	Tom comes off as a man with the best of intentions. He has some good qualifications and his frustrations with the way the city has been run in the past came through in his answers. His biggest obstacle is sticking out and making himself a truly attractive choice for voters. Unfortunately, his on stage performance just didn’t match up to the other two candidates, who were much more polished and seemed more comfortable. His answers were sufficient but never wowed or inspired.
How did he do in the one-on-one meeting?	I was most impressed with Tom during the one-on-one meeting. He was very friendly and personable and his desire make Halifax successful was evident. He shook my hand, looked me in the eye and listened to what I had to say. And yet, I was not completely convinced by his responses he gave. They were sufficient, but didn’t instill me with complete confidence that he would be able to handle the job.
MIKE SAVAGE
Who is he?	The front-runner and the most likely winner. From the time he was elected, even before Peter Kelly bowed out, Mike Savage was expected to win. Mike spent a number of years in various sales and marketing positions before running for MP in Cole Harbour in 2004 under the Liberal banner. He has been endorsed by a number of high profile political figures from all parties and has run his campaign on his ability to bring people together from all viewpoints.
How did he do in the interview?	Mike Savage was just as good as expected. Savage is the only candidate with real political experience and it showed. His comfort on stage and quick tongue made him stand out amongst the others. His answers were delivered clearly and without delay and during his last word he stood up and walked around the stage demanding the attention and respect of the audience.
How did he do in the one-on-one meeting?	If you have ever met Mike Savage before you’ll know that he has quite the presence. He is a large man and grips your hand firmly when he introduces himself to you. At the same time, he seemed distant while speaking with him, looking around as though he was worried someone would approach him from behind. It made me feel as though he wasn’t quite interested in what I had to say.

 

 

 

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