Portrait of the municipal elections in Pontiac
Portrait of the municipal elections in Pontiac
More than 55% of the municipal posts were elected by acclamation in the MRC Pontiac. Seven mayoral positions were elected by acclamation.
Two candidates will be vying for the position of Warden for MRC Pontiac: the outgoing Warden Jane Toller will face former Warden Mike McCrank. In 2017, the first year the position was elected by universal suffrage, there were five candidates (Toller, Raymond Durocher, Charlotte L’Écuyer, Linda Davis and Pierre Fréchette).
No election in three municipalities
The municipalities of Campbell’s Bay, Chichester and Waltham all saw a whole slate of candidates elected by acclamation. In Campbell’s Bay, Mayor Maurice Beauregard, who led the municipality during the 2019 floods, was given a new term, this time without opposition. Note that all the outgoing councilors were re-elected and that Josey Bouchard was elected for the first time to seat 5.
In Chichester the entire council was re-elected without opposition. Mayor Donald Gagnon is the longest-serving mayor in the MRC, having been first elected in 2003.
In Waltham, outgoing Mayor David Rochon did not seek re-election and was replaced by councillor Odette Godin. This term there will be three new councillors at the table: Leonard Godin, Jordan Evans and Tyler Rochon.
Plenty of choice in Rapides des Joachims
Despite there being just over 150 residents in Rapides des Joachims, there was no shortage of candidates to replace outgoing Mayor Jim Gibson, as Doug Rousselle, Lucie Rivet Paquette, Dale Levesque and Doris Larochelle will all be seeking the top seat. Seats 3 and 4 in the far-flung municipality will also be contested by two and three people respectively. (Note that Rapides des Joachims only has four council seats compared to the usual six).
Last minute withdrawal in Shawville mayoral race
Shawville residents nearly had the same race as 2017, where outgoing Mayor Sandra Murray faced councillor Bill William McCleary. However, Murray withdrew at the last minute, announcing on her Facebook page that she would not seek another term. Councillor Patti Moffatt will instead contest the position against McCleary. Bill Hobbs, outgoing councillor for seat 5, was the only official elected by acclamation.
The return of former mayors
In Thorne, citizens will have the same contest as in 2017, with incumbent Karen Daly Kelly facing off against former mayor Terry Murdock. In their previous contest, Kelly won with 244 votes to Murdock’s 126. The rest of council could look very different however, as only two candidates were elected by acclamation.
Portage du Fort will also have the same contest as 2017, as outgoing Mayor Lynne Judd-Cameron will face Nicole Racine, who lost by just six votes four years ago.
In Mansfield et Pontefract, former Mayor Kathleen Bélec is seeking to reclaim the seat she lost to Gilles Dionne in 2017 by nearly 500 votes. She will face councillor Sandra Armstrong. Council seat 2 is the only other contested position in the municipality.
Alleyn et Cawood had the same mayoral candidates as 2017 and 2013, with former Mayor Joseph Squitti facing off against incumbent Carl Mayer. In 2017, Mayer received 101 votes, Squitti got 50 and Karen (Kim) Montague Milford recieved 36.
L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet Mayor Serge Newberry is not seeking re-election, but voters will have a choice between two men who have previously held the position, Pierre Féchette and Jean-Louis Corriveau. Corriveau was pro-mayor and took the reins of the municipality when Féchette resigned after serving as mayor for less than a year between 2016 and 2017. Two new councilors were elected by acclamation: Aurel Paquette and Louise Grenier.
Who will lead Fort Coulonge?
Gilles Beaulieu will be seeking to become mayor, facing off against the councillor he lost against in 2017, Christine Francoeur. The two candidates waited until the last day to submit their paperwork. Three councillors, (Debbie Laporte, Nathalie Denault and Lise Romain) returned to their posts, along with new candidate Lucie Bertrand. Former councillor Gaétan Graveline, who resigned just a few months ago, will seek another term, facing off against outgoing councillor Pierre Vaillancourt.
New mayor in Otter Lake
After Kim Cartier-Villeneuve announced that she would not be seeking re-election, Terry Lafleur put his name forward and was elected without opposition. Four of the six council seats in the municipality are contested.
Races in Bryson, Clarendon and L’Isle-aux-Allumettes
There will be a three-way race to replace L’Isle-aux-Allumettes Mayor Winston Sunstrum, with councillor Louis Lair facing Corey Spence and Jeremiah Nephin. Former Mayor Brian Adam is seeking a council seat against Paul Gagnon, but all the other seats were elected without opposition.
In Bryson, Rosalee Gravelle is trying to unseat current Mayor Alain Gagnon. Two other seats are contested.
With Clarendon Mayor John Armstrong retiring, councillor Edward Walsh is seeking the position, facing Gerald Dagg, who ran for mayor in 2017. The rest of the council will be returning to their seats without opposition, with former Bristol councillor Phillip Holmes taking Walsh’s seat.
Bristol and Sheenboro
Just like 2017, Bristol Mayor Brent Orr was elected by acclamation. Two council seats will be contested by new candidates.
Sheenboro Mayor Doris Ranger also returned to her seat without opposition, just like in 2017. Four of the council seats in the municipality are contested.
Municipality of Pontiac
Only one seat was uncontested in the Municipality of Pontiac and there are two former mayors, Roger Larose and Edward McCann, vying to unseat incumbent Joanne Labadie. Back in 2017, Labadie beat then-incumbent Larose by a margin of 1,227 votes to 852. Interestingly, there are five candidates (Mario Allen, Garry Dagenais, Benoit Gariépy, Susan Lamont and Line Martineau) looking to claim council seat three. Only one member of the previous council, Scott MacDonald, is seeking re-election.
The full list of candidates is available here.
