Mike Savage won't run for another term as Halifax mayor

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage says he will not run for a fourth term in the upcoming municipal election this fall.

The 63-year-old, who has been mayor since 2012, made the announcement Tuesday at Halifax City Hall in a tearful speech where he called the mayorship "the best job I ever had."

"It was a difficult decision, but it passes the test that my mother gave me more than 20 years ago: 'Is it a decision that sits comfortably in both your head and your heart?' And it does."

Savage said he would continue his work as mayor for the next eight months and would be willing to meet with anyone who's considering running for the position to offer his insights.

"Twelve years is long enough. It's time for me to plan for life after being mayor," Savage said. "I don't know what that will be, but I know there is something else."

He also said he was proud to have served with his colleagues in municipal council and worked in a growing city that has become younger and more diverse over the years.

"Thank you to the residents of our community for giving me the enormous honour of serving it," he said at the end of his speech. "It has been the privilege of my life."

Savage was first elected mayor in 2012, and was re-elected in 2016 and 2020.

Prior to municipal politics, he served as MP for the federal riding of Dartmouth-Cole Harbour from 2004 until 2011, when he was defeated by NDP candidate Robert Chisholm.

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