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Roundtable #1: Municipal Councillors Look Back On Their First Year
STRAIT AREA - October 27, 2021 - As they mark their first anniversary as elected councillors, Melanie Sampson, Krista Luddington and Jason Aucoin are reflecting on the surprises that awaited them in their first twelve months of public service, but also celebrating their personal achievements and those of their respective municipal councillors.
Sampson has additional reasons to celebrate as she was chosen by her fellow councillors as Richmond County's new Deputy Warden at their latest regular meeting this past Monday in Arichat. The faculty member at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Strait Area Campus was originally elected in October 2020, ending the 12-year council term of former Richmond Warden Brian Marchand.
Today, Sampson feels she and her four fellow newly-elected councillors gained from having a fresh approach to municipal governance, but she also praises Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette for bringing the leadership she has shown in her previous roles, including executive director of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce.
Aucoin, who will become Port Hawkesbury's next Deputy Mayor in early November as a result of receiving the second-highest vote tally in last fall's municipal vote in the town, admitted that he "thought he knew better" than some of the veteran Port Hawkesbury administrators and elected officials that were on council with him in his early days. However, he is grateful for the guidance of Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, Port Hawkesbury Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Terry Doyle, and re-elected councillors Blaine MacQuarrie, Hughie MacDougall and Mark MacIvor.
Over in Mulgrave, Krista Luddington's journey to municipal politics got a more abrupt start as she was acclaimed to her council seat once nominations closed for the municipal vote in Mulgrave early in September 2020. Today, she is still learning about the town and its history but hopeful that the new-look town council will address such issues as affordable housing, accessibility and regional cooperation, which were also identified as key issues by Sampson and Aucoin.
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