Long-serving Halifax mayor, Mike Savage, announces won’t run again next election

Halifax’s long-serving mayor says he won’t run in the municipal election this fall, explaining that he wants to depart the job while he’s still capable of winning at the ballot box.

Mike Savage told a gathering of media, staff and fellow council members Tuesday that after almost 12 years in the office, he felt it was time to step back — even though he said he could be victorious in the Oct. 19 mayoral race and take on a fourth term.

“I always wanted to leave on my own terms,” he said.

During an emotional news conference, Savage said he was also thinking of the advice of his late mother Margaret Savage — known for her charitable works — who once advised her son that he’d know a decision was wise “if it sits comfortably in your head and in your heart.” 

“I think at some point in time, you have to ask ‘What’s next?’ … Longevity for me is not a mark of success in politics. The mark of success is, ‘What the hell did you do when you had a chance to do something?'”

He noted that during his terms the Halifax economy expanded, the city’s population became more diverse and council adopted a tax to invest in climate change adaptation. 

“I’m proud of the fact that when I came here, the city was stagnant in many ways. In the last few years we’ve developed the downtown, we’ve brought people here from around the world … You can hear languages on the streets of Halifax you never heard 10 years ago,” he said.

“We’ve invested in climate change … We have put a tax on property to pay for climate change and that’s not an easy thing to do.”

Savage also cited improved relationships with Indigenous peoples, which was helped by the decision in 2018 to remove a statue to Edward Cornwallis, the city’s founder, who had offered a cash bounty to those who killed Mi’kmaq residents.

The 63-year-old also said it was time for another politician to take on the challenges besetting the city: chronic homelessness, a shortage of affordable housing and the threats posed by climate change to municipal infrastructure.

The mayor quipped that he didn’t have any immediate plans but was considering running for president of the United States “in 20 years,” referring to the advanced ages of President Joe Biden, who is 81, and his likely Republican opponent, Donald Trump, who is 77.

Savage said he won’t retire from the workforce and expects “something else” will emerge for him to do.

The former Liberal MP has recently been in a battle of words with the Progressive Conservative provincial government over its efforts to take more control of urban planning. Last fall, Tim Houston’s government passed legislation that requires Halifax to work with the province to grant pre-qualified developers expedited approvals for residential units; the law also imposes a two-year freeze on the fees the city levies on builders.

Savage denounced the bill as “unnecessary and harmful,” and told a legislature committee that it’s built on the false premise that there are unacceptable delays in advancing projects in the Halifax area.

However, he said Tuesday that the province’s incursion into municipal powers didn’t play a role in his decision against running.

“I feel confident we’ve expressed our view in a way we should have,” he said, adding that for the next eight months he’ll work with the province and the federal government to address the housing shortage. 

Coun. Waye Mason, who has been touted as a potential candidate in the mayoral race by some pundits, said after Savage’s announcement that the mayor had “brought a lot of confidence and swagger back to the city.”

“He turned the tone of the council … towards a much more collegial manner,” he said after the news conference. 

Coun. Pam Lovelace, who is considering a run, said she agreed with Savage, “It’s better to bow out than be pushed out.”  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2024.

Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press