Sue Uteck is the incumbent councillor for district seven, and the third candidate we’ve interviewed. Check out our coverage of the debates on Monday and Tuesday online at dalgazette.com.
Dal Gazette: You’ve been on council for 13 years now―why are you running again?
Sue Uteck: I think that, with the new expanded territory and new leadership at the top, that Halifax is in it’s biggest booming growth since 1949 and I want to be a part of it.
Gazette: Council doesn’t stop because the elections are coming up; what are you doing now?
SU: My big project was the Central Library, as chair of the library board, to bring council into that one. There are no, in October, specific goals for me. I prepare for the upcoming budget, so for example I had a meeting on Friday seeing what streets are being done, what parks are being done, where are we at on the Oakland wharf project, where are we here. So, my October homework has been to get ready for the budget.
Gazette: You’re known by many for your work on tax reform. Can you explain that?
SU: There’s an increasing disparity everywhere, starting with the commercial taxes. If you own a business in the downtown area, you might be paying $70 per square foot: a perfect example of this is King’s Palace on Quinpool Road, $70 per square foot in business taxes. But, if that same place was in a suburban area, they might be paying as much as $14 per square foot, like Walmart, who is only paying $14 per square foot out on Bayers Lake.
There’s a real disincentive to be located in the downtown and what I’ve seen increasingly with those empty lots is what we call the “doughnut effect,” where people are vacating and it spreads all around them. Think of it like the rotten core of an apple; the whole thing starts to rot.
Then there’s residential taxes. So for you, if you’re an apartment dweller, your landlord―if he has anything over eight units―doesn’t get what we call the provincial cap assessment. So what happens is their assessed value might go up a couple hundred thousand every year and it’s passed onto you, the renter. So that’s why you’ll see big jumps in rent increases, between water, power, and assessment. You, the renter, are paying more each and every year.
Gazette: You’re also known for trying to make council more transparent. How will you maintain that with a new council if re-elected?
SU: I think that’s where I bring the experience, but first of all it’ll be a new council so we’ll establish those good working relationships right away. I know the big three mayoral candidates― Fred Connors, Tom Martin, and Mike Savage. I’ve worked with Mike Savage before, so I know I’ll have a good working relationship with any one of them. That’s one thing that each candidate has promised, and I’ll hold them to it.
Sue Uteck on mayor Peter Kelly:
SU: First of all, I have nothing against him personally, but I disagreed with him politically. The things that you, the public, see now and know about him are the things that I saw behind the scenes. When I would complain, it was always ‘Oh, Uteck’s picking on Kelly,’ but it wasn’t that. I think the taxpayer ought to be aware that this bullshit’s happening behind the scenes. But it’s hard, when you have this machine and the top administrative branch is afraid of him (Kelly). It’s like David and Goliath.
Gazette: Many people are saying district seven will be one of the closest races; who do you see as your main competition?
SU: I think they’re all pretty close, I don’t have any thoughts about any of them. One of my incumbents, Gerry Walsh, is deliberately lining his signs up next to Mike Savage’s, so it looks like if Mike Savage is your future mayor, he’s endorsing this candidate. It’s just dirty pool.
But I think there’s credibility in Waye Mason. I think Mike MacDonnell, a young university student, is probably coming in too late in the game because I’ve been out campaigning since June. My goal still is to knock on each and every door, so I think he’s just a little late in the game right now.
And the Dawgfather. Jerry (Reddick) brings credibility but he hasn’t shown up anywhere, he hasn’t shown up to any debates, he hasn’t filled out surveys, so I think that within the periphery of Dal he’s well known but to the larger community he’s not.
Gazette: So who would you say is your main demographic?
SU: I think whether you vote or not, I’m still your employee because you’re in my constituency. I don’t really have a big demographic, I would say it’s spread out. I’ve always been accused of swinging the student vote because my late husband was the athletic director and football coach at Saint Mary’s (University), so the name Uteck is synonymous with Saint Mary’s but the knock against me is that the only reason I win is because of students coming out and voting. I also have a great working relationship here with Dal. So it’s total, either you like me or don’t: there’s no gray about Sue Uteck.
Gazette: Now that students will be able to vote in larger numbers, will they affect the vote much?
SU: This is like the urban myth that’s come out: students have always been able to vote, all you had to do was present your oil bill, present your I.D., swear an affidavit that you’ve lived at that address for three months and you’ve always been allowed to vote. I think this time around we’re just putting that push on and to be frank, it scares some residents. Some of them are scared students are going to put a nut in office but I don’t think so. Those who want to vote, whether you’re a student or not, will come out and vote.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
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