Municipal associations encouraging candidates for spring elections

New Brunswick will hold municipal elections on May 11.

And three municipal associations are doing their part to encourage people to run in those elections.

The Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick (UMNB), the Association francophone des municipalités du N.-B. (AFMNB), and the Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick (AMANB) launched an awareness campaign recently.

The campaign is about encouraging interested people to run for council this spring.

“Municipalities across the province have experienced significant changes since January 2023, and our municipal elected officials, with the support of municipal administrations, have met these challenges with energy and determination,” said Serge Arsenault, Chief Administrative Officer of the Town of Grand-Bouctouche and Vice-President of the AMANB.

“They have paved the way for even stronger local governance. We are calling on citizens who want to take part in this important work. Our municipalities need your leadership and your ideas. “Municipal administrators will be your allies in advancing the issues that matter to you and your region.”

Yvon Godin, a councillor for Rivière-du-Nord and president of the AFMNB, said the hope is to have municipal councils reflect the diversity of today’s society.

“The members of our three associations firmly believe that New Brunswick will be more inclusive and better equipped to grow if our local governance demonstrates leadership in openness to all,” he said.

“We are the level of government closest to people’s daily lives. When municipal councils have the privilege of drawing on a wide range of perspectives, they expand the pool of possible solutions for their communities.”

The campaign will be accompanied by information sessions for people interested in running, and a variety of local activities aimed at the explaining the role of elected municipal officials.