Andy Fillmore has resigned from his seat on the National Assembly and officially registered to run for mayor of Halifax, saying no federal funds were used in his weeks-long campaign.
While retaining his position as Liberal councillor for the Halifax constituency, Fillmore began campaigning as an unofficial mayoral candidate in July and continued to do so until he resigned on Saturday.
There is no rule against this, but political scientists and other candidates have questioned the ethics of lawmakers using federal resources in municipal elections.
Speaking at a campaign event in Halifax, Fillmore said that’s not what’s happening.
“I have always followed and will continue to follow all regulations. No federal funds have been used in any form or at any time in any city campaign,” Fillmore said Tuesday, the same day his mayoral nomination was confirmed at City Hall.
The official nomination period for mayor and city council members began Aug. 29 and will run through Sept. 10. Fillmore was required to resign before becoming an official candidate, but “that’s exactly what happened,” he said.
But Fillmore also said he must complete important work in his federal constituency this summer before stepping down from parliament.
Fillmore says the event was not staffed.
That includes residents at the south end of Cobourg Road writing a letter to Halifax Chief Operating Officer Cathy O’Toole to express their concerns about upcoming construction to build a multi-use lane for pedestrians and bikes. Fillmore defended writing the letter, saying the city’s infrastructure projects, which are cost-shared with the federal government, are not just a city issue.
Some federal employees were present at Fillmore’s campaign events, but they were likely off-duty, he said.
“My staff are fully qualified to fill out timesheets,” Fillmore said.
One of his staffers, Joan McCray, resigned the day Fillmore resigned and is now part of the mayoral campaign team.
Councilman Way Mason, also a mayoral candidate, said the scene showed a “real lack of judgment” from Mr Fillmore.
“They may have been on vacation, they may have taken time off, but how do we know?” Mason said Tuesday.
Current law allows for “unethical” situations
Councilwoman Pam Lovelace, who is also running for mayor, said the bigger issue is politicians at different levels holding seats during election campaigns.
“In my opinion, this is unethical and I sincerely hope that this policy gap is filled quickly,” Lovelace said Tuesday.
In a statement, Fillmore said Mason and Lovelace are in a strong position in the race as incumbents who will hold onto their seats throughout the election.
The number of unofficial candidates in the mayoral race had grown to 15 as of Tuesday.
Nova Scotia’s municipal elections are on October 19th.
