Dawgfather's election priority: affordable housing

Dal food vendor is also pushing tax reform in his bid for Halifax municipal council. How will he achieve these goals? "Hot dogs and pop will get you a lot."

You can't win votes with hot dogs. But Jerry Reddick is going to try.

The Dawgfather says he is running to become a Halifax municipal councillor because he wants to stop the city from taking  advantage of students and taxpayers.

He campaigns outside the Dalhousie Student Union Building at lunchtime. The lines at his hot dog stand have been long for over 14 years and he hopes his patrons support him in the election next October.

His platform is simple: affordable housing and giving Jack- and-Jill taxpayer a break. "We're not trying to confuse people....or be everything to everybody."

But perhaps he is the one who is confused.

Reddick says "affordable" off-campus housing means "a two-bedroom for five or six hundred dollars."
That is the equivalent to the monthly cost of living on-campus. The additional costs of food and laundry apply to both scenarios. But students on campus have the benefit of meals prepared by dining hall staff and laundry facilities on site.

Another part of Reddick's plan that is shaky is who is going to pay for the development of his housing project. "We're going to get... the two biggest businesses in the world to build it for us...Microsoft and Google."

It seems far-reaching to presume that Microsoft or Google will finance his student development. But Reddick says, "Someone will come in because this building will have 30,000 students in it...And if you can get 30,000 kids going through your search engine for the next four years, that's where the money is."

Many students are on side with Reddick. "He seems like a nice guy" and, "he's wicked," are what students say about him. But most don't know anything about his platform. "I don't like to get too deep into the issues," was one student's excuse.

Even if the nice guy card is making Reddick many friends, they won't necessarily translate into votes.

Voter turnout among students is decreasing every year. Even those keen on Reddick's politics admit they might not show up to vote. "I didn't vote in the last election because I didn't have time." Another student said, "I just forgot to vote."

The other half of Reddick's platform is the rotating tax burden. This is exactly as it sounds: each voting district will get a rest period where they are exempt from paying tax.

This will be difficult to achieve considering municipalities have no power over income or sales taxes. The best Reddick could offer is free parking, a fee city council can dictate.

None of this intimidates Reddick. He firmly believes that if he keeps serving up hot dogs, voters will serve up a ballot with his name on it. "Hot dogs and pop will get you a lot."

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