Voters across the province head to the polls in October to decide the fate of municipal politics for the next four years.
For many voters, the landscape feels different than it did in 2020. In most municipalities, the candidate list is longer than it was in the previous election.
In the 2020 election, The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (MODL) saw 9,084 people turn out to vote out of approximately 20,700 eligible voters, for a total turnout of 43.9 per cent. Out of the ten districts, three councillor seats were acclaimed.
For Bridgewater, 10 candidates ran in 2020 for six councillor seats, and Mayor David Mitchell was acclaimed – no one challenged him for his seat after a successful four years in office.
Lunenburg has seen some mix-up on council since the 2020 election, which also had 10 candidates running for six councillor seats. Matt Risser and John McGee were the two mayoral candidates in 2020. Lunenburg held a special by-election in August 2023 to replace its vacant Mayoral seat following the resignation of Mayor Matt Risser.
Mahone Bay also held a by-election since this council was formed in 2020. Suzanne Lohnes-Croft, former Lunenburg MLA and Liberal provincial cabinet minister, won a by-election for a vacant seat (vacated by Alice Burdick) in November 2022. Seven candidates ran in the regular election for six councillor seats.
Here’s what we know about Lunenburg
Two candidates are facing off for the Mayoral seat. Incumbent Jamie Myra, who was elected during the August 2023 Special Election, is going up against Jesse Ward, former Editor-in-chief of The Barnacle.
The 2023 victory marked a return to municipal politics for Myra, who was a Councillor with the Town of Lunenburg from 2000 to 2012, when he was not re-elected.
Ward has not previously sat on council.
Nine Lunenburgers have put their names forward for the six Councillors who sit at large – meaning a Councillor is not elected by people in a specific polling district, but by all voters in town.
In an Instagram post on Sept 11, Michael Higgins has dropped out of the race.
The official list of candidates for councillor according to the Town of Lunenburg website is:
- Renea Babineau
- Rachel Bailey
- Irma Da Sie
- Debbie Dauphinee
- Gale Fullerton
- Alex Greek
- John McGee
- Alison Strachan
- Amanda Williams
Rachel Bailey and John McGee are the only candidates with experience on council. Bailey sat as Councillor for the town from 2008-2012 and served two terms as Mayor from 2012-2020.
John McGee sat on council for 12 years and ran for Mayor in 2020 when he was not elected.
Gale Fullerton ran against Jamie Myra in the 2023 Special Election, receiving just over 30% of the votes.
The other six candidates have no prior experience on council. No current Councillors are reoffering.
Like previous elections, this election will be paperless, meaning you can only vote by phone or online. The advance voting period starts on Oct. 10 and runs until Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. You can vote anytime during this period.
Here’s what we know about MODL
All districts referenced in this paragraph are referring to the updated election boundaries.
Eligible voters in MODL will get to elect a Mayor, and for one Councillor for the district they live in. Incumbent Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson is being challenged by Elspeth McLean-Wile.
In 2020, Districts 1, 5 and 8 won by acclamation. In 2024, eight districts have at least two candidates running. District 2 and District 10 only have a single nominated candidate, meaning they will be acclaimed. Martin Bell (District 2) and Chasidy Veinotte (District 10) are both incumbents. Neither were acclaimed in the 2020 election.
Sandra Statton, Leitha Haysom, Michelle Greek and Reid Whynot are not reoffering for Council in October.
In 2020, three districts unseated their incumbents. With the long list of candidates, and four Councillors not reoffering in the 2024 election, there will likely be a majority new council chambers this fall.
According to the MODL election website, the list of candidates is:
- Mayor – Carolyn Bolivar-Getson
- Mayor – Elspeth McLean-Wile
- District 1 – Morgen Reinhardt
- District 1 – Tyler Veinotte
- District 2 – Martin E. Bell
- District 3 – Andrew Himmelman
- District 3 – Wendy Oickle
- District 4 – Pam Hubley
- District 4 – Gary B. Mailman
- District 5 – Suzanne Kutach
- District 5 – Cathy Moore
- District 5 – Andy Veinotte
- District 6 – Wade Carver
- District 6 – Blair Clark
- District 6 – Alison Smith
- District 6 – Byron Veinotte
- District 7 – Edgar Burns
- District 7 – Elizabeth Crossland
- District 7 – Carroll W. Publicover
- District 8 – Kacy DeLong
- District 8 – Barry Owen Dupuis
- District 8 – Phil Williams
- District 9 – Ben Brooks
- District 9 – Dean Schmeisser
- District 10 – Chasidy Veinotte
Here’s what we know about Bridgewater
David Mitchell has once again been acclaimed as Mayor for his third term in office. He was the only nominated candidate.
Nine candidates have been nominated for six Councillor positions. Four candidates are incumbents.
After both finishing three terms, Andrew Tanner and Wayne Thorburne have not reoffered for council.
According to the Bridgewater election website, the list of council candidates is:
- Carter, David
- Colwell, Stacey (incumbent)
- Conklin, Mike (incumbent)
- Fougere, Cheryl (incumbent)
- Getson, Donette
- McDonald, Jennifer (incumbent)
- Morrell, Jane
- Newell, Braden
- Whynot, Eric
Here’s what we know about Mahone Bay
In a last minute nomination of Tony Sampson, there will be a race for Mayor in Mahone Bay. Current Councillor Suzanne Lohnes-Croft has decided to run for Mayor. Incumbent David Devenne is not reoffering in October.
Three other incumbents are reoffering for Councillor- Joseph Feeney, Penny Carver and Kelly Wilson. The other six nominees are new.
According to the Mahone Bay election website, the list of candidates for Councillor is:
- Penny Carver (incumbent)
- Aaron Collery
- Joseph Feeney (incumbent)
- Colin Kingsmill
- William Lewis
- Richard Nowe (incumbent)
- Bryan Palfreyman
- Rebecca Twanow
- Kelly Wilson (incumbent)
For more information on each candidate as it becomes available, check back to our Election Central. www.thebarnacle.ca/election
