Sheila Fougere For Mayor Of Halifax

I recently had the opportunity to have a meeting with the latest person to announce a run at Peter Kelly's position as Mayor of Halifax. Sheila Fougere has been on the City Council for the last 7 years and has decided that she will run for the position in 2008.

I asked her what some of the biggest problems Halifax faces at this point.

"One of the things that is important to me right up front is transportation and I don't mean just public transportation. A mean a whole fully integrated system where people can move around easily and businesses can move their goods around easily and right now we don't have that. We need a bigger investment in public transportation."

"We also have an enormous harbour which we constantly underutilized. It's ice free and in my 50 years of living in Halifax it has only ever had ice in it once. That is an opportunity I think we are missing out on."

She then went on to describe how the position differs from other levels of government.

"At the municipal level we have no health mandates, environmental mandates we don't have any social mandates, but we happen to be the people that can impact that in a physical way, in the most positive sense more so then other levels of government can."

I took the opportunity to ask her why she believes that a change is needed in Halifax now. Peter Kelly has held the position for quite sometime.

"Peter Kelly has almost completed two terms as Mayor and I have completed almost two full terms (and a little bit of one because I got in during a bi-election) as councilor. There comes a time, i think, when you need a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective to look at things"...."One of the things people don't realize is that by running for Mayor, I am giving up my council seat"...."but I think it is important enough to do, I think it is important that somebody else comes in to my district with a fresh set of eyes, a fresh perspective to do things, because I have worked hard at it for the time that I have been there but it is what democracy is all about"

"I think that I can do a better job because I have a different perspective, a different approach to things...I don't need to get brownie points, i don't need to have my picture in the paper. I am a firm believer that what you do when people aren't watching is probably more important than what you do when people are watching. "

Since Sheila has decided to run for Mayor, she now has to give up her seat with city council. I asked her what her plans would be if she was unsuccessful in her attempt at the mayor position.

"I don't have a specific plan because I don't plan to loose, but all my life I have been involved in things in Halifax"

"I've always been involved in something, and whether it's work or volunteer doesn't matter to me because I am not really motivated by money a whole lot. This is a great place and there is a million of things to do and I will always be involved in something"

I was surprised by how open she was to having this meeting when her life is so busy. She has a lot of great ideas for Halifax and loves being a part of shaping it. The election will not take place until late next year so we have plenty of time to learn more about Sheila Fougere and any others who decide to run.