Borden, O’Leary seeing major change
Only one new member on Tignish council
Of all Prince County towns, Borden-Carleton will have the most new faces around the table when new municipal councils take office in December.
Mayor Dean Sexton did not re-offer in Monday’s municipal elections and will be replaced by his former deputy mayor, Charles MacKenzie, who out-polled two other candidates for the town’s top elected position.
Besides MacKenzie, the only other member of the current council returning to the table is Randy Ahearn. Two other incumbents, Eric Stewart and Shawn Jessome, went down to defeat. There were 12 names on the ballot for the six council seats. Leading the way in balloting and securing seats at the council table were Larry Allen and Laurel Palmer-Thompson. Also elected to Borden-Carleton council are Nicole Bernard-Arsenault, Barb Wood, and Fred Leard.
O’Leary’s town council will also have a new look. No election was held there though, as six councillors and incumbent mayor Eric Gavin were elected by acclamation. Gavin’s been mayor of the town since a 2015 byelection. Darren MacKinnon is the only member of the current council returning. Joey Dumville is also back after resigning his seat earlier this year. New to the council are Valene Gallant, Judy MacIsaac, Kevin Maynard and Darrel Wood. Alberton will get a new mayor and two new councilors. David Gordon received over 56 per cent of the 491 votes cast in the three-person race for mayor, besting Rosetta Tremblay, who is a current member of Alberton Town Council, and incumbent mayor Michael Murphy, who spent the last week of the election campaign in hospital.
Four incumbent councillors were returned, Kelly O’Meara-Williams, Blair Duggan, David Cahill, and Connie Bernard. Claudia Gallant, who left council in 2014, is coming back, and Donnie Bernard will be taking a seat at the table for the first time. Incumbent Alan Curtis lost his seat.
In Kensington, Rowan Caseley was unopposed in his bid for re-election as mayor of the town. Three members of his current council are also returning, Coreen Pickering, Rodney Mann and Jeff Spencer. Ivan Gallant, a former mayor of the town, led all candidates with 299 votes. Adrien Bernard and Wade Toombs also got in. Incumbents Marvin Mill, Mack MacLean and David Doucette, along with Philip Sudsbury, failed to win a set in the 10-person race for councillor.
Allan McInnis gets a third term as mayor of Tignish after out-polling first-time candidate Dryden Buote. Five of his councillors are also returning. Deputy mayor Angel Murphy, John McInnis, Debbie Fennessey, Judy Morrissey-Richard, and Lloyd Gavin. Rounding out the council will be Sam Arsenault, who resigned as recreation director for the town earlier this year to take on a position at the catch certification office. There were eight candidates for the six councillor seats.
See below for the full list of election results for Prince County towns and rural municipalities.