AMHERST – Several weeks of campaigning will come to a conclusion across Cumberland County when voters go to the polls Saturday to elect their municipal and school board representatives.
In Amherst, incumbent mayor Robert Small – first elected in 2008 – is facing a challenge from former town councillor Wayne Bishop in an election about maintaining the town’s momentum or going in another direction.
“It has been a very good campaign and a very clean campaign,” Small said Thursday. “I think all candidates have done a great job. We had some great input on all the issues.”
Small is hoping there will be a strong voter turnout on Saturday.
Bishop said he has had a very positive response from the voters.
“The people I have talked to have been very positive about my message of change,” Bishop said. “I believe I have a very good chance of winning if they come out to vote on Saturday.”
On the council side, five of the six incumbents are reoffering, while there are four challengers.
George Baker, Robert Bird, Dale Fawthrop, Dave March and Terry Rhindress are trying to hold on to their seats, while Lisa Emery – who ran unsuccessfully in 2008, former town manager Ed Childs, retired ARHS principal Frank Balcolm and Art Marks are the challengers.
Veteran school board member David Myles is facing a challenge from Richard Allen for the town’s seat on the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board.
In Cumberland County, there will be six elections with one of the closest races expected to be in District 1 that includes the area around Amherst.
Gerald Read, who was first elected in 1991, is facing a spirited challenge from real estate agent and Fort Lawrence resident Edith Helm, Amherst Point businessman Don Smith and former school board member and Blair’s Lake Road resident Marilyn Thompson.
In District 3, including the Tidnish and Northport areas, Warden Keith Hunter is being challenged by real estate agent Rod Gilroy and Joe O’Byrne. The District 5 race, including the Wallace and Malagash area, former District 4 councillor Kathy Langille is up against Lynne Welton, the wife of former warden Ralph Welton.
The District 6 race, the Wentworth-Westchester-Collingwood area, includes incumbent Kathy Redmond and challenge Bill Baker in a rematch of the 2008 election.
Former Oxford mayor Bill Park, Kelly Milner and Dan Rector are running for the District 7 seat vacated by the retirement of Phil Donkin, while in District 9 (around River Hebert-Joggins) incumbent John Reid is being challenged by Mike MacLellan.
John Kellegrew in District 2, Al Gillis in District 4, Ernie Gilbert in District 8 and Ratchford Merriam in District 10 have all been re-elected by acclamation.
Adam Davies and Bernice Vance are running for one of the county’s school board seats while Mackie Ross in District 2 and Margie Nicholson, whose district includes sections of Cumberland, Colchester and Pictou counties, have been acclaimed.
Allen Dill, who was elected mayor in 2008, is being challenged for Springhill’s top job by former Salvation Army pastor Max Snow and David Wyatt.
Incumbents Doug Dobson and Jack MacDonald are facing challenges from Lance Lockwood, Harold Delaney and Darrell White for the town’s four council seats.
Former councillor Trish Stewart and Arnold MacDonald are challenging sitting mayor Lloyd Jenkins for Oxford’s mayoralty, while there are nine candidates for council. Wade Adshade, Paul Jones, Peter Swan and Dawn Thompson are seeking re-election. Allison Draper, Darlene Ellis, Tom Kay, Barry Patriquin, Wendy Turpin and Patricia Weatherbee are also running. There are four seats on Oxford council.
In Parrsboro, Lois Smith has been re-elected mayor by acclamation. Council candidates include incumbents Lisa Ward, Dawn McCully and David Harrison and challengers Robert Fancy, Lloyd Smith, Ronald Shaw, Betty Atkinson and Lyle Yorke.
Box this in the story on the front.
On Saturday, the Amherst Daily News is hosting a live chat on the election results at cumberlandnewsnow.com. The chat will run from 10 to 11 p.m. Managing Editor Darrell Cole will host a discussion of what the election results mean.
Previous Amherst election results
2012
Mayor
Wayne Bishop
Robert Small
Council
George Baker
Frank Balcom
Robert Bird
Ed Childs
Lisa Emery
Dale Fawthrop
Dave March
Art Marks
Terry Rhindress
2008
Mayor
Robert Small 2,434
Ed Chitty 1,264
Council
George Baker 2,413
Terry Rhindress 1,939
Dave March 1, 927
Robert Angel 1,730
Dale Fawthrop 1,688
Robert Bird 1,562
–
Tammara Ashe 1,533
Gwen Kerr 1,476
Roger Belliveau 1,185
Peter Baxter 8-6
Lisa Emery 731
Claremarie Haley 417
2004
Mayor
Jerry Hallee (acclamation)
Council
Ed Chitty 1,895
George Baker 1,766
Dave March 1,702
Robert Angel 1,603
Terry Rhindress 1,567
Dale Fawthrop 1,372
Theresa Halfkenny 1,372
Tina Hurley 1,104
Sharon Bristol 1,082
Linda Moore 995
Jason Blanch 777
Matt Chitty 774
John Conrad 747
Roger Belliveau 660
Marsh Fox 496
Hugh Maloney 349
Peter Gilroy 345
Verna Weeks 255
Jim Mitchell 232
Michael Faubert 119
