Straight Talk

Issue 1.1 :: May 2008

Bedford Residents,

Thank you very much for your support on May 3!

Both Sandra and I have been very moved by the many calls and notes we've received since election night; I am humbled by the faith you’ve expressed in me. I have been delighted as well by the warm welcome and support received from Mayor Kelly, all HRM Councillors, the HRM executive team, and HRM staff. Their offers to work collaboratively for the betterment of Bedford and HRM are encouraging. I have established an advisory team to help me deal with a number of issues, including tax reform, policing, transportation, and recreation facilities.

In addition to being Bedford’s representative on Regional Council, I am also Bedford’s representative on a number of committees and boards. These include the Bedford Days Executive Committee, Rocky Lake Development Association, Chief Administrative Officer Review Committee, North West Community Council, Emergency Measures Advisory Committee, Dangerous and Unsightly Premises Committee, North West Planning Advisory Committee, Bedford Watershed Advisory Board, and the Grants Committee. Please see my HRM Councillor website at www.halifax.ca, or my campaign website at www.bedfordleader.com for more information.

During my campaign, I launched a practice called “TIMe FOR STRAIGHT TALK & MYTH BUSTING”. It is my intention is to continue this practice regularly as your representative.

My first action in this regard is to clarify the reasons why, in addition to being the legal requirement under the Municipal Governance Act, HRM Regional Council decided it needed to hold the by-election May 3. It is true, the by-election was expensive; this was approximately $30,000 we could have used for much-needed projects. (And, yes, I would have preferred to run in only one election this year!) However, there are many reasons why HRM Council reached this decision:

  1. While Mayor Kelly and a number of councillors, in particular Councillors Hum, Mosher, Adams, Harvey, and Johns had voluntarily stepped up to assist Bedford residents, it would have been difficult for them to continue long-term, particularly during the upcoming general election campaign.

  2. There are presently a significant number of outstanding requests for Councillor discretionary funding projects from Bedford residents.

  3. Bedford Days and the Rocky Lake Development project are both time-sensitive and time-consuming endeavors that HRM Council could not ignore until October.

  4. Historically, the number of calls and meeting requests received from constituents and staff does not drop significantly over the summer season. In fact, some issues (such as policing) move to the forefront over the summer season when students are not in school, residents are away, and also subsequent to the recent stabbing in Bedford.

  5. Many people assume HRM holds few meetings over the summer months. This is simply not accurate. Regional Council and the Committees listed above continue to meet over the summer months; these meetings deal with important issues for Bedford and the reality is that I will represent the interests of Bedford in at least 34 Council and Committee meetings between May 13 and October 18 (including 13 Regional Council meetings).

    This figure does not include meetings for Bedford Days, the new Bedford Community Council Association, the Bedford Watershed Advisory Board, Regional Council Committee of the Whole meetings, or the Rocky Lake Development Association. It is anticipated that these will add another 10 to 13 meetings to my agenda. This now totals 45 to 48 meetings at which I will gladly represent the needs and concerns of Bedford residents over the summer and during the early fall, and then provide important feedback to Bedford residents.

  6. The federal government recently announced that it was providing $13 million to HRM to improve public transportation. Council therefore decided that they want the residents of Bedford to have a voice on how this money should be spent and to ensure that Bedford gets its much-needed and fair share of the revenue.

  7. Action must be taken immediately by either HRM or the private sector (or both) if sustainable recreation facilities are to be ready for next fall. Support for this action cannot wait until October.

My objective and commitment is to represent you diligently at these meetings and I am committed to moving Bedford’s agenda forward. Please contact me with your concerns and ideas. Once again, thank you for your support. It's a great honour to represent you on HRM Council and I look forward to working for you and with you.

Sincerely,

Tim


Phone: 490-5679
Fax: 490-5681
Assistant: 490-4086 (Linda Johnson)
Email: outhitt@halifax.ca
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