UPDATED: More candidates, just one ward with no contest unless more candidates come forward by Friday deadline
Updated at 10am Wednesday, October 26, 2022 to reflect new candidates
New candidates have put their names forward for Tantramar municipal elections to be held on November 28, 2022. Nominations close on Friday at 2pm.
Barry Hicks and Wendy Epworth have both declared their candidacy for Ward 2, which includes parts of the old town of Sackville such as Frosty Hollow, as well as Westcock, British Settlement and the Rockport peninsula.
Incumbent Sackville councillor Bruce Phinney has also put his name in the hat for central Sackville, Ward 3. And on Tuesday, a new candidate, Charles Arden Harvey, entered the race in Ward 3, central Sackville.
That means the four seats in Ward 3 will be up for competition between at least five candidates.
Ward 5 Point de Bute is the one remaining ward with no contest. Candidate Greg Martin is in line to win the council seat by acclamation unless other candidates come forward before this Friday at 2pm.
So far, there are five contests for Tantramar elections:
- Mayor, Tantramar: Current Sackville mayor Shawn Mesheau and Deputy Mayor Andrew Black compete for the top job.
- Ward 1, Dorchester: Current Dorchester mayor Debbie Wiggins Colwell is running against her deputy mayor Robert Corkerton.
‘Be part of this historic initiative’: Allain tries to drum up more candidates for municipal elections
There is just one week to go for candidates to nominate themselves for municipal elections in New Brunswick, and so far there are just eight candidates registered with Elections NB for the new town of Tantramar.
Tantramar Candidates according to Elections NB unofficial list
Mayor
Shawn Mesheau
Ward 1 (Dorchester) – One councillor seat available
Debbie Wiggins-Colwell
Robert Corkerton
Ward 2 (West Sackville/Rockport) – One councillor seat available
None
Ward 3 (Sackville) – Four councillor seats available
Mike Tower
Josh Goguen
Allison Butcher
Ward 4 (Upper Sackville/Midgic) – One councillor seat available
Matt Estabrooks
Ward 5 (Point de Bute/Aulac) – One councillor seat available
Greg Martin
Current Sackville councillor Sabine Dietz says she will be running in Ward 4 (Upper Sackville/Midgic) though she has yet to register.
Two current Sackville councillors have informed CHMA they will not be running: Bill Evans and Ken Hicks. Others are expected to declare candidacy soon, including Andrew Black and Bruce Phinney.
Counting Dietz as a candidate, there are just two actual elections guaranteed to take place in Tantramar, with no contest so far for Mayor, councillors in Ward 3 (Sackville), and councillor in Ward 5 (Point de Bute). There are no candidates whatsoever for councillor in Ward 2 (West Sackville).
There are also no candidates for the elected advisory committee for the new Southeast Rural District which is spread over eight distinct areas of the region, from north of Midgic to the Canaan Bog to the edges of Fundy National Park.… Continue
Following ‘mix-up,’ voters may receive notices falsely stating no election in November: Elections NB
Local government elections are slated to take place on November 28 across the province, including for the new Town of Tantramar.
But local residents may receive a notice in the mail stating incorrectly that no election is taking place.
And in parts of the province where, in fact, no election is planned, residents may receive the opposite information.
That’s because of a “mix-up” involving a quarter of a million households, according to a statement issued by the government agency on Wednesday.
“A mix-up in the name on files sent to the vendor who printed the content and packaged the envelopes for Elections NB resulted in over 260,000 households being sent the wrong election message,” the statement said.
“The mistake, introduced after the files were sent to the supplier, was not caught by us during the proofing process,” chief electoral officer Kim Poffenroth added.
Several communities don’t have elections scheduled in November, including Belledune, Dieppe, Moncton, Saint John, and about a dozen other places.
That’s either because they were unaffected by municipal reform, or their total number of voters will increase by less than 15 per cent.
But Sackville, Dorchester and other communities that will be merged into the future Town of Tantramar are not on that list.
At least one Sackville resident told CHMA she had received one of the erroneous notices by Wednesday.
Voters and candidates with questions about the November election can contact Elections NB at 1-888-858-VOTE.
More information about the election is available on the Elections NB website.… Continue