Riverside-Albert has to wait until May for next set of byelections

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By Charles Perry
Times & Transcript Staff

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Voters in three New Brunswick communities have byelections scheduled for Monday to elect new council members.

They will be going to the polls in Bathurst, Gagetown and Ste-Anne-de-Madawaska to elect one councillor, each.

One community, however, who has lost their mayor and two of their four councillors through resignations, will not be electing replacements on Monday.

That is Riverside-Albert -- the reason being that no one offered for any of the three positions and the byelection had to be cancelled, said Michael Quinn of Fredericton, chief electoral officer for the province. He said the daily business for the village will continue to be supervised by Hugh Doherty who was appointed to the position by the province.

Quinn said yesterday the absence of the three council members, including the mayor, meant that the Riverside-Albert council could not form a quorum and therefore, could not govern.

Vicky Deschênes of Fredericton, director of communications for the Department of Local Government, said yesterday that Doherty officially takes on the status of a mayor and, working in conjunction with the village clerk, can issue tenders and other contracts required for the day-to-day operation of the village.

That includes looking after the financial administration of the community, said Deschênes. As a result, even without the council, it is business as usual for Riverside-Albert's daily operations, she said.

Since the next byelections after Monday will not be until May, Doherty would be staying on as supervisor in the village until that time, added Quinn. He explained that municipal byelections are only held twice a year in New Brunswick -- May and October.

Deschênes said the situation in Riverside-Albert, where the province has to appoint a supervisor, is not common, but at the same time, it is not unusual, either. For instance, she said the province had to name supervisors for St. Anne-de-Madawaska and Baker Brook last spring.

Meanwhile, two candidates, each, are vying for council seats in Bathurst, Gagetown and Ste-Anne-de-Madawaska.

In Bathurst, Gordie Roy is battling it out with Mike Willett; in Gagetown, Brian Goddard is competing against Frank Massoeurs and in Ste-Anne-de-Madawaska, Sandy Fortin is vying against Jean-Louis Francoeur for the vacant council seat.

Quinn said the other communities, originally scheduled for byelections on Monday, have since elected replacements by acclamation.

He said this comprises one councillor, each, elected by acclamation in Baker Brook, Lac Baker, Rivière Verte and Oromocto and two councillors by acclamation in Le Goulet. In Le Goulet's case, there were two council vacancies, he added.

Advance polls were held last week in the three communities with byelections on Monday, said Quinn. He said the polls will be open Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.