Meet the Mayoral Candidates for St. Stephen

When voters in Town of St. Stephen head to the polling station on May 10, 2021 for the New Brunswick municipal elections, they will have two candidates to choose from for Mayor: Vernon Card and (incumbent) Allan MacEachern. COVID-19 has complicated how candidates are able to reach voters this year, so Charlotte County Television organized "Meet the Mayoral Candidates for Town of St. Stephen" as part of the TV station's extensive Vote'21 coverage of the candidates across Charlotte County.

The TV special is a collaboration between CHCO-TV and the St. Stephen Area Chamber of Commerce. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no audience was in attendance. Instead, prior to the event, the Chamber received questions submitted by the public that were then vetted to come up with 15 final questions that best represent the most prevalent themes and issues that are most important to voters. The two candidates, along with the moderator were not made aware of the questions in advance of the broadcast. Each candidate was given an opportunity to make an opening statement for up to 5 minutes, starting alphabetically with Vernon Card and followed by Allan MacEachern. TBoth candidates were then given the opportunity to answer each question, and the order of response rotated for fairness. The candidates each had 2 minutes to answer each question. At the end of the event, each Candidate was given 5 minutes to make a closing statement. 

Although the Election Day in New Brunswick is May 10, voters are reminded that those who want to cast their vote early the advance polls can do so at the Municipal Returning Office in Saint Stephen at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Hall located at 63 Union Street. There are also a vote-by-mail option available by going to electionsNB.ca.  Any elector in New Brunswick can apply to vote by mail. Electors who choose this method of voting are often temporarily studying, working, or travelling outside of the province, or who may be housebound due to incapacity or illness.  In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, electors who are not comfortable visiting a voting location may also choose to apply to have a ballot mailed to them.