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