Liberal MP Andy Fillmore ‘very seriously’ considering run for Halifax mayor

Andy Fillmore, the Liberal Member of Parliament for Halifax, says he’s considering a mayoral run during the municipal election in October.

“I am thinking very seriously about putting my name on the ballot,” Fillmore told reporters during a news conference on energy affordability Tuesday.

This comes one week after current Halifax Mayor Mike Savage announced that his name won’t be on the ballot for the next election. Savage has held the position since 2012, and said at the time that “12 years is long enough.”

On Tuesday, Fillmore acknowledged Savage’s work and the “remarkable legacy” he’ll leave behind.

“He’s helped to turn our city toward prosperity. He’s helped us to uncover the potential of our city that we always knew that we have,” he said.

“The city is doing wonderfully right now. It’s not without its challenges. And that’s where the mind goes, with the challenges that are coming to the future.”

Fillmore said he’s had conversations with people from across the municipality, as well as his family. He said he plans to reach a decision in the “coming time.”

“When we run for public office, our family comes along with us,” he said. “After nine years in public life, I’m taking that part of this very seriously.”

Fillmore was first elected as the Liberal MP of Halifax in 2015, and had previously worked as Halifax’s manager of urban design from 2005 to 2012.

He also served as the director of Dalhousie University’s school of planning, as well as the vice-president of planning and development with what was previously known as the Waterfront Development Corporation, which has since been amalgamated into Build Nova Scotia.

The next municipal election is scheduled to take place Oct. 19, at which point council is bound to look very different.