ST. ANTHONY, N.L. — St. Anthony residents get to cast ballots twice this month.
Three days after the federal election on Oct. 21, they will have to choose a new member of council from five contenders.
Voting day for the municipal by-election is Oct. 24.
To get a sense of why they’re running and what their priorities are, The Northern Pen posed a couple questions to each of the candidates.
The Candidates
Name: Woodrow Burden
Age: 70
Occupation: Retired/Airport bus services driver
Why are you running: I’ve been a volunteer in this town for close to 40 years with the Kinsmen, but the Kinsmen folded and I found that I didn’t have much to do. Town council is a volunteer position and I figured with my volunteer service, I might be able to help out. That’s basically the reason I’m running, as well as to help the betterment of the town.
What is one thing you would like to accomplish as a member of council in St. Anthony: I want to try to get the hospital back, as much as possible, to what it was and I want to work on getting something done with the Crémaillère Harbour Marine Port Development project.
Name: Katrina Noel
Age: 29
Occupation: Career and Employment Disability Case Manager with Spinal Cord Injury Newfoundland and Labrador
Why are you running: When I lived away, I always longed to be home. Because home is a place that brings you comfort and stability. It’s not only the physical beauty of our town, it’s family, friends, volunteers, church groups, and so many other various associations that help make St. Anthony what it is. I believe in inclusiveness, diversity and everyone having a voice. My desire is to give back to the town we all know and love, to be part of a team that will keep St. Anthony a place we can all be proud to call home.
What is one thing you would like to accomplish as a member of council in St. Anthony: If I’m chosen it’s about involving myself with the community, residents, community groups, youth, seniors and everyone in between! It’s about working with and learning from the current town council members and doing what’s best for our community. Building on our strengths and working hard to better ourselves.
Name: Levi Reid
Age: 74
Occupation: Retired (Navy veteran)
Why are you running: I am a proud Veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy and now that I have retired from the work force, I am ready, willing and able to work for the residents of St. Anthony as a member of the town council. I would be committed to use my extensive experience from all my former positions to assist the Mayor and other councilors to promote and ensure that our community continues to grow and flourish not only as a great and wonderful place to live but also as one of Canada’s best tourist destinations.
What is one thing you would like to accomplish as a member of council in St. Anthony: If elected, there are many issues and concerns that directly affect our community, such as the gases in our new school and the roads around our community. However, one of the things that each and every one in our community should have is clean, safe drinking water. It would be, in my opinion, paramount for each and every citizen of St Anthony to have safe water and that would be the one item that I would like to work with the mayor and council to resolve and rid or minimize the amount of “Boil Orders” that the community is subjected to.
Name: Niketa Rose
Age: 30
Occupation: Principal/Teacher
Why are you running: St. Anthony is my home and I care deeply about the growth and development of our community. I have invested myself in our area and continue to be a contributing member of society. As I am settled and plan to start a family here, I want to continue the positive work of our current council ensuring we provide a safe and inclusive environment for all community members. With my strengths as an educator and my knowledge of our community infrastructure, I am confident that I will be an excellent addition to our panel of community leaders.
What is one thing you would like to accomplish as a member of council in St. Anthony: I believe in a collaborative approach to decision making. I want to listen to what the residents of St. Anthony feel are our greatest areas of need and work together on improving those areas. I know that I will be successful in voicing my concerns and the concerns of our community members utilizing a team approach. We cannot make change happen alone. We need to work together with a similar vision for the betterment of our community. I want to offer my knowledge and strengths as a leader to encourage positive growth in our area.
Name: Troy Jeremy (TJ) Smith
Age: 33
Occupation: Unemployed, currently looking
Why are you running: I want to inject some leadership and new ideas into Town Council. I love our community and truly believe there is potential here to grow and make some changes to our town.
What is one thing you would like to accomplish as a member of council in St. Anthony: There are two items high on my agenda; 1. Ask questions into the feasibility of improving our waste management site. It's a disaster out there. Just glad no one can see it from the highway. 2. To create a recreation committee that has representation from all groups and teams to collaborate together on enhancing our recreational groups/facilities.
