There’s some inconsistency between two polls conducted to gauge where Halifax Regional Municipality mayoral candidates stand among potential voters.  

Polling firm Corporate Research Associates came out with its numbers first yesterday, showing Mike Savage well ahead of other candidates. Just hours later, results of a poll done by current runner-up Tom Martin’s team were released putting Savage just 15 percentage points ahead.

Martin told News 95.7 the latter round of numbers seems more accurate than the CRA’s.

“Mike was 67 per cent, myself with 13 per cent and then when we compared the numbers on our poll we got Mike at 53 per cent and  37.9 per cent for myself which is more in line, more reflective of what we’re finding at the doors,” he said.

Martin’s team called 506 random HRM residents between Sept. 1 and Sept. 3. They listed the mayoral candidates and asked residents who they would vote for.

It’s the difference between the two polls in the percentage of undecided voters that surprises Martin the most.

“The biggest thing that I found so interesting is in the Corporate Research poll, we have 27 per cent undecided. In the poll that members of my campaign team did we have 74  per cent undecided. That’s quite a difference,” he said.

Martin says he isn’t sure why the results are so inconsistent, but he thinks the CRA poll may have been biased because he maintains company president Don Mills is a Mike Savage supporter. Martin says that kind of information should be declared.

“If that is the case, that should be disclosed. And if we’re going to get an accurate poll and if we’re going to get an accurate reading, let’s take it out of province and let’s have an unbiased poll done,” said Martin.

Voters will cast their ballots Oct. 20.