Charlotte County highlights
Two prominent Charlotte County towns have new mayors.
Steven C. Backman, who is president of the Charlotte County Hospital Foundation, among other things, will be the new mayor of St. Stephen, handily winning over his competition.
Longtime mayor Allan MacEachern, who has been on council since 2012 and mayor since 2016, chose not to re-offer.
The last council has faced challenges to grasp homelessness and a lack of affordable housing, both issues that will still be there as the new mayor and council are sworn in.
And in Saint Andrews, mayor-elect and former councillor Steve Neil won after a race that ended with a sombre tone. Kate Akagi, who has been serving as acting mayor since the resignation of former mayor Brad Henderson last year, died just weeks ago. While Akagi had been running in this election for council instead of mayor, her death meant Neil briefly became acting mayor. Neil won handily.
The last council faced public pushback over designs for the town’s wharf rehabilitation. As cost estimates climbed, the council cancelled the project last fall. But the town is beginning to look at new plans for the wharf, and this new council will have to jump headfirst into this issue.
Nearby in the county, incumbent mayors John D. Craig won in Eastern Charlotte, Bonnie H. Morse in Grand Manan and Harvey Matthews on Campobello Island.
