Steve Neil to become new mayor of St. Andrews

Former Deputy Mayor and Councillor Steve Neil will be the next mayor of St. Andrews.

Neil earned about three-fourths of the vote share in Monday night’s election.

The mayor-elect is excited about the win, and was surprised by how quickly the numbers came in.

He will be looking to advance the town’s ten-year municipal plan, which looks to preserve the local watershed, adapt the town to the challenges of climate change such as rising sea levels, and preserve the town’s historical character while developing new affordable housing.

St. Andrews has a wharf that is “in bad need of repairs, that we are going to continue working on,” Neil adds.

The town’s councillors Darrel Weare of Ward 1 and Annette Harland of Ward 2 were re-elected on Monday night by acclamation, meaning they ran unopposed.

Ward 3’s by-election

Voters may have seen options for electing Ward 3 councillors on their ballots, but those votes will not be counted.

Former Acting Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor Kate Akagi passed away in April.

At the time Akagi was running for re-election as a Ward 3 Councillor, which necessitated a new election date under the rules of New Brunswick Elections.

Nominations for the Ward 3 by-election will open on May 15, and close on May 29 at 2 p.m.

The by-election is currently scheduled for June 22.

Kate Akagi was a long-time public servant in St. Andrews, who worked for many years alongside Steve Neil.

“She was somebody who was near and dear to me,” says Neil. “It was a huge loss for our community all around.”

Neil also wants to thank the other candidates for putting their names forward in the election, and congratulates them for their efforts.

“It’s no small feat, when you’re willing to put your name out there and run for local office.”