District 6 byelection offers choice

By Joanie Veitch - The Weekly News
With seven candidates running in the East Dartmouth-The Lakes district byelection, voters will have plenty of choice when they go to the polls Sept. 19.
The tricky part might just be getting them to vote.
"We've had a lot of elections over the past year. People are feeling a little tired of them, I think," said Robin Allen, a library support specialist at Brookhouse Elementary School in Dartmouth and the only female candidate on the ballot.
After spending much of the summer traveling with her husband, Scott, and two children, ages 12 and 10, Allen said she loves her community and has gained a renewed appreciation for what's going right in Halifax Regional Municipality.
"We have an amazing recycling program in the city and great recreational facilities, I'd like to see us find a way to go even further - to find a way to get more people using the community centre and to reward people in some way for recycling," she said.
Voter disillusionment is also on candidate John McMillan's mind as he walks the campaign trail. And he would count himself amongst the disillusioned.
"I'm telling people loud and clear; I'm not a politician. That's part of my campaign," he said.
Citing council's in-camera sessions in dealing with the sewage treatment plant fiasco as the tipping point for himself and many others he's hearing from, McMillan, 55, says if elected he vows to speak out.
"People are fed up with politics as usual. That has to change," he said.
Shane Dafoe also hears people say they want to see changes in how council does its business as he goes door to door during the campaign.
"People want to be able to know they can count on you. It's all about integrity and honesty," Dafoe said.
An avid runner, 47-year-old Dafoe is interested in promoting more bike lanes and more frequent bus routes if he's elected to council.
The full list of candidates running in the Sept. 19 byelection are: Allen, McMillan, Dafoe, Phil Brown, Tracey Devereaux, Darren Fisher and Brian Warshick.
In addition to voting at the polls, voters can vote online or by telephone. Online voting begins Sept.12 and runs 24 hours a day until the polls close on Sept. 19.
Council has approved a budget of $85,000 for the byelection. Advance polls take place Saturday, Sept. 12 and Tuesday, Sept. 15 from noon to 8 p.m.
joanie.veitch@gmail.com