Local democracy will 'suffer' after byelections delayed, municipalities group says

Elections New Brunswickhas pushed back byelections in more than a dozen municipalities as it faces the possibility of a snap provincial election.

Kim Poffenroth, New Brunswick's chief electoral officer, sent a notice following the Sept. 24 provincial election announcing votes set for Dec. 3 would instead be held May 6, 2019.

The tight election results, and ongoing jockey for power, means Elections NB must prepare to hold another provincial election.

"Elections New Brunswick does not have the resources required, including trained staff, warehouse space and technical support, to effectively and simultaneously prepare for two large-scale elections," Poffenroth said in a statement.

For cities like Saint John and Moncton, that means months with a single vacant seat. But in the Village of Aroostook, two vacant seats on the four-person means no quorum.

That leaves the village unable to carry out municipal business, such as passing a budget. The village did not return a request for comment.

Decision condemned

The Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick condemned the decision to push back the byelections.

"The delay denies residents local representation and risks the ability of some municipal councils to operate," said Wayne Sturgeon, president of the union and Grand Manan councillor.

"We strongly disagree that local democracy should suffer as a result," Sturgeon stated. "Elections NB should not be in the position of choosing between levels of government."

Aware of concerns

Poffenroth was not available for an interview.

She said in a statement she's aware of the union's concerns and plans to meet with the group to explain her decision in more detail.

The provincial election caused vacancies in Saint John, Moncton, Shediac and Sackville.

In Moncton, Ward 3 Coun. Bryan Butler resigned from the city's social inclusion committee in part because the other ward councillor Rob McKee resigned from council after he was elected Moncton Centre MLA.

"Elections New Brunswick has decided they're not going to have a byelection until next May so that would give me approximately 10 months in largest ward by myself," Butler said at Monday's council meeting.

Butler said he's still concerned about social issues affecting the city.

In Tracadie and Sussex Corner, vacant council seats mean if one council member misses a meeting, the community government won't have quorum.

Sussex Corner faced a series of resignations and retirements earlier this year, with the acting mayor saying she looked forward to the fall byelection to help resolve the problems.

Open seats

The Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick has compiled a list of council vacancies: