Andy Fillmore resigns MP seat, becomes official candidate for Halifax mayor

Andy Fillmore has resigned as a member of Parliament and officially registered to run for mayor of Halifax, saying no federal resources were used in his weeks of campaigning.

Fillmore started campaigning in July as an unofficial mayoral candidate while holding his seat as the Liberal MP for Halifax — and continued to do so until Saturday, when he resigned.

There is no rule against this, but a political scientist and fellow candidates have questioned the ethics of an MP using federal resources in a municipal race.

Speaking at a campaign event in Halifax, Fillmore said that hasn't happened.

"I've always followed every rule and always will. Zero federal resources have had anything to do with the municipal campaign, at any time and in any way," Fillmore said Tuesday, the same day his mayoral nomination was finalized at city hall.

The official nomination period for mayor and councillors opened Aug. 29 and runs until Sept. 10. Fillmore was required to resign before becoming an official candidate, which he said "is exactly what I did." 

But Fillmore also said he had important federal constituency work to finish this summer before resigning as an MP.

Fillmore says staff at events weren't working

That included writing to Halifax CAO Cathie O'Toole to echo the concern from south-end residents on Coburg Road about upcoming construction to build a multi-purpose lane for pedestrians and cyclists. Fillmore defended writing the letter, saying infrastructure projects in the municipality that are cost-shared with the federal government are not solely a municipal issue.

While some members of Fillmore's federal staff were seen at his campaign events, he said those staffers would have been off the clock. 

"My staff are completely qualified to fill out a time sheet," Fillmore said.

One of those staffers, Joanne MacRae, resigned the day Fillmore did and is now part of his mayoral campaign team.

Coun. Waye Mason, a fellow mayoral nominee, said the optics show "a real lack of judgment" on Fillmore's part.

"They might have been on vacation, they might have taken a day off, but how are we going to know that?" Mason said Tuesday.

Current laws allowing 'unethical' situation

Coun. Pam Lovelace, who is also running for mayor, said the bigger issue is politicians at different levels holding seats while campaigning

"It is, in my opinion, unethical, and I certainly hope that that policy gap is filled sooner than later," Lovelace said Tuesday.

In a statement, Fillmore said Mason and Lovelace have their own campaign advantages as sitting councillors because they keep their seats throughout the rest of the election cycle.

The race for mayor had grown to 15 unofficial candidates as of Tuesday.

Municipal election day in Nova Scotia is Oct. 19.