North Rustico elects new councillors

Wallie Dingwell, Paula Gallant win seats during Monday’s vote

Two new faces are joining the North Rustico town council following Monday’s municipal byelection.

Paula Gallant received 112 of the 319 votes cast while Wallie Dingwell had 90. Giles Gallant (70) and Stephanie Moase (47) also ran in the election. Paula Gallant and Dingwell will serve until the next municipal election in November 2018. Nancy MacAdam and Jennifer Purvis resigned the seats earlier this year for personal reasons. The town was incorporated in 2013 and about 450 people were eligible to vote in Monday’s byelection.

Votes were cast by 169 town residents, including five at the advanced polls, a turnout that pleased the assistant to the town’s administrator.

“This was actually an incredible turnout for us,” said Marley Doucette, who is also in charge of planning special events. “We weren’t anticipating that high of a number, so it was pretty good for us.”

Dingwell, a retired accountant, moved back to P.E.I. in 2016 after making a career off-Island and settled in North Rustico with his wife, Angela.

He held several chief financial officer positions in different industries, with his last role being the finance director and treasurer for a city of 10,000 residents in Colorado. Gallant, who was born and raised in North Rustico, is the daughter of Maynard and Eunice Gallant and works for the accounting firm Fitzpatrick & Co. in Charlottetown. Gallant has served on many committees over the years, including the Canada Day Committee of North Rustico, and was part of a planning committee before the area became a town. Gallant also served as a councillor in the past for the community of North Rustico. Mayor Anne Kirk said she was pleased with the voter turnout and having four people run for the two seats.

“That, to me, is an indication just how interested the people in the Town of North Rustico are in their little town,” she said. “Everybody is working together to create a viable and a sustainable town and a town that welcomes people.

“We have a lot to offer here and I think the residents here know that and would like it to continue to grow.”