Big Names on the Ballot
for Bedford Council Seat

By Brian Flinn

The May 3 municipal byelection in Bedford is likely to pit an IT advocate against a Conservative dynasty.

Tim Outhit, the president and CEO of novaknowledge, announced yesterday he will put his name on the ballot when District 21 elects a new councillor. Former representative Gary Martin died of cancer in February.

Outhit confessed he has never sat through an entire council meeting without a TV remote in his hand.

"I've watched them on Channel 10, and it's enough to turn you off", he said. "I'm hoping maybe we can raise the bar, with some help from others. I don't know".

Instead of endlessly debating cat control, Outhit is hoping to get Halifax Regional Council to address some of the long-standing questions that are bothering Bedford residents. The shortage of rinks, the need for a Bedford bypass and the lack of action on the much-promised fast ferry to downtown need attention", he said.

"You keep hearing about them because nothing ever seems to get done, despite some good efforts by some good people", Outhit said.

He said the city is going to have to get creative to solve some of those problems, and should be willing to work with the private sector so solve problems like traffic congestion.

"There may have to be a toll road for a little while", he said.

Outhit has been active in the community as president of the Ridgevale Homeowners Association. He is a long-time Liberal who had to withdraw from party politics when he took the job at novaknowledge. The organization, which promotes a knowledge-based provincial economy, has to be non-partisan. He plans to keep his job with novaknowledge if he wins the seat.

He was hoping to benefit from the support of former Bedford councillor, mayor and Tory MLA Peter Christie, but that's not in the cards. Outhit said Christie's son, Matt Christie, is also going to seek the council seat.

"Matt Christie is a good guy from a fine family", Outhit said.

"He has a team behind him there that's going to be formidable".

Christie has not yet announced he's entering the race. He could not be reached yesterday.

His candidacy should not be a surprise. Peter and Matt Christie grabbed a lot of attention in February when the helped organize a public meeting that called for political autonomy for Bedford. It's a populist stance to take in the former town, which voted against amalgamation in 1995, in a non-binding plebiscite. HRM Mayor Peter Kelly was then Bedford's mayor.

The elder Christie didn't talk about undoing amalgamation when he was Nova Scotia's finance minister.

Outhit said he doesn't want to undo amalgamation. He said he agrees with the slogan of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce that Halifax is "stronger together".

"I'm not in favour of pulling it out", he said. "I am in favour of a more empowered community and community committees.

"When it comes to social and economic development, I really believe we are stronger together".

Outhit said he thinks Halifax Regional Municipality should examine the model used in cities like Vancouver and consider allowing party politics at city hall. But he said he doesn't want to be "distracted" by governance issues when there are so many infrastructure needs that have to be addressed.

brian@allnovascotia.com | 446-3447