5 districts to watch in the upcoming Halifax municipal election

Of the 16 districts in the Halifax Regional Municipality, four include councillorsfacing no competitionin the Oct. 15 election.

But others promise to be races to the finish. They include:

District 1:Waverley-Fall River-Musquodoboit Valley

Current councillorBarry Dalrympleis not reoffering, and thedistrict is a toss-up.

The largesuburban/rural district has six candidates vying for the seat.

Steve Streatch,a former councillor who's from the more rural part of the district, isfrom a Conservative political family, knows the area and how to campaign in it.

However, if there are popular candidates from suburban areas,he may not be able to take back a council seat.

Steve Sinnott, who worked in the public sector,and real estate agentAlison McNair are from Waverley, and from Fall River is Cathy Deagle-Gammon, executive director ofDartmouth Adult Services Centre, which provides programming for people with mental disabilities.

Trevor Lawson is a veterinarian from Carroll's Corner, which is rural, while former real estate agentColin Castle is from the Musquodoboit area.

Traffic andcommuting areusually the biggest issues in the suburban parts of District 1, while the rural areas tend to feel neglected, meaning it's anyone's game.

District 2:Preston-Chezzetcook-Eastern Shore

Incumbent David Hendsbee is reoffering, but this is a sticky time for District 2.

The Save Rural HRMgroup is upset over new development rules that it says don't take into account the unique needs of rural communities.

As a result, many along the Eastern Shore are upset, though how much blameHendsbee mustshoulderremains to be seen.

There are three other candidates.

Public servant and filmmakerShelley Fashan of Lake Echois running andhasbeen vocal in the fight against theconstruction and demolition of a landfill facility along Highway 7 in Lake Echo. That's the heart of Hendsbee's district.

Will he be blamed?

The other candidates are Nova Scotia Health Authoritypublic servantSydnee McKayand Gail McQuarrie, atravel agent and former transit driver.

District 5: Dartmouth Centre

Gloria McCluskey, aformer mayor of the pre-amalgamationCity of Dartmouth and vocal proponent of her community, is not reoffering.

Eight people now are vying for the jobthe greatest number of candidates in any HRM district.

Dartmouth Centre is home tofierce pro-Dartmouth sentiments. Some peoplehave never accepted being absorbed by the megacity.Theydon't like theHalifax signs or even being referred to as Halifax.

There are a number of strongcandidates in this race, including a few who tried in 2012:SamAustin, an urban planner, and KateWatson, who is well known inthe theatre and arts communities.

Tim Risessco, executive directorof the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, has thrown in his hat for the firsttime.

The other candidates are Nova Scotia Health Authority stafferAdam Bowes, anti-poverty community organizerGabriel Enxuga, Ned Milburn, who handcrafts guitars, lawyer Derek Vallis and entrepreneurWarren Wesson.

Local lawn-sign wars appearsplit, meaning this will be a good race to watch.

District 8: Halifax Peninsula North

Jennifer Watts is not reoffering, andhas said she only wanted to stay in office for twoterms.

There has been some chatter about limiting terms. A few of the candidates pushing this idea includeBrenden Sommerhalder, marketing director atthe Downtown Halifax Business Commission, and Lindell Smith, ayouth programmer at the Halifax North Memorial library.

The main issue in this district isgentrification and affordable housing.This is the home of the ColonialHonda controversy, which sawhousing torn down to make way for a car dealershipparking lot.

Former councillor Patrick Murphyis trying for the job.

Two African Nova Scotian candidates,Irvine Carvery, anold hand at political campaigns,and Smith,a younger man, also are in the race.

The other candidates are Martin Farrell, artist Anthony Kawalski and former school board representativeChris Poole.

District 12:Timberlea-Beechville-Clayton Park-Wedgewood

Reg Rankin, a councillor since amalgamation and a county councillor even before that,is not reoffering.

Former MLA BruceHolland is running, as aremeteorologistRichard ZurawskiandBruce Smith, whohas ran unsuccessfully before.

Advanced careparamedicJohn Bignell, Otter Lake Community Monitoring Committee memberScottGuthrieand Department of Justice bureaucratIona Stoddard are the other candidates.

This district is home to theOtter Lake landfill,so garbage issues will be top of mind inat least part of the district.

The district also includes the Blue Mountain Birch Cove LakesWilderness Area,a long-running controversy that was recently put to rest.It isn't clear if thereare lingering feelings over that, thoughthey likely would have been directed at Rankinanyway.