Guimond Joins Council
Byelection to fill vacant on-reserve seat for Lennox Island Band Council
Richard Guimond will serve as the new on-reserve councillor of Lennox Island First Nation, filling a vacant seat left after the death of Gerry Thomas last November.
There were five candidates vying to fill the seat in the Feb. 10 byelection, but Deputy Electoral Officer Margie McGrath said the electioneering in the community was low key.
There are more than 700 eligible voters, but they can be onreserve residents, off-reserve residents, or even off-Island members of the First Nation. Voter involvement on election day was just under 25-percent, but McGrath noted that traffic at the polling station on Lennox Island was steady all day. An advance poll was held in Charlottetown last week. “Lennox Island usually has a good voter turnout,” McGrath said.
The council seat is one of two on-reserve positions, with one off-reserve councillor and the Band Chief comprising the remainder of the administration.
Guimond, 46, has been active in the community, including serving 27 years with the Lennox Island Fire Department. He has been chief of the department for the past 2 1/2 years.
He intends to bring a positive outlook to council, hoping to forward issues like housing and youth engagement. Though some issues are very difficult to manage, Guimond points to improvement of a neglected baseball field and expanded use of the school gymnasium in the community as more achievable projects. Although this will be his first time on council, he will rely on his decades of community involvement to fashion his efforts.
“I know what I have to offer, and I think it will be a positive contribution to the community,” he said. The next general election for Band Council will be in 2019.