‘I’ll be on the job hunt’: Three Halifax councillors not seeking reelection reflect on their tenures, challenges facing municipality

Three Halifax Regional Municipality councillors will not be running for reelection in October.

Eight years ago, Lindell Smith didn’t see himself in the world of politics, despite his name appearing on a list of eligible candidates for the Halifax Peninsula North riding. Smith was encouraged to run in District 8 in the Halifax Regional Municipality by the previous councillor, but he didn’t expect to make a full run for office until he started to drum up interest.

“I thought initially it was about showing the community that you can put your name forward even if you don’t have a background in politics,” Smith said. “I didn’t think it’d turn into a serious thing. As I started to organize and campaign, I saw there was a lot of support.”

Smith was elected to council in 2016. That same year, former reporter Lisa Blackburn also found herself on the campaign trail for the Middle/Upper Sackville-Beaver Bank-Lucasville riding. When she heard the results, she was as surprised as anyone else she’d secured the victory for District 14.

“Statistically speaking, I should not be here,” she said. “In 2016, I was a first-time candidate, a woman, and I was going against an incumbent. It was an incredible opportunity.”

In 2008, Tim Outhit won a byelection for the Bedford-Wentworth riding. He said his work with MLAs and MPs led to him throwing his hat into the ring for District 16.

“I was always involved in politics,” he said. “I was a history and political science major. I moved back to Halifax in 2000 and became involved with the homeowners association.”

Smith, Blackburn, and Outhit may have entered municipal politics for different reasons, but this October they’re all leaving the same way: Not running for reelection.