PORT HAWKESURY: Although the verdict was already in, town councillor Blaine MacQuarrie was officially made deputy warden.
During the regular monthly meeting of Port Hawkesbury Town Council on December 1, MacQuarrie was appointed to the position which he held entering the municipal election on October 17.
Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton noted that it is “tradition” that each councillor take a one-year turn in the post, but as a result of getting the most votes in the town council race, MacQuarrie automatically becomes deputy mayor for the next year.
“Each of our elected councillors, four in total, take a turn as deputy mayor, one per year for the four-year term,” she explained. “The order of the appointment of deputy mayor, the way it’s chosen, the people at the polls choose the order. The largest amount of votes results in our first deputy mayor, and on the down the line to the fourth highest number of votes.”
After council unanimously approved a motion to re-appoint him for the next year, MacQuarrie thanked the mayor and council.
He told The Reporter that it was an honour to receive the highest number of votes of all town council candidates.
“You never know what the outcome will be until all the votes are counted,” he said. “I was very pleased in the election to see how much support that I had received. To me, it was an endorsement of what I was doing since I won the by-election in 2018. I was very, very appreciative of the support and hope I to be able to do a lot in the next four years for the town, especially for the residents.”
Because deputy mayor can be a largely ceremonial role, and as a fill-in for the mayor as a meeting chair, MacQuarrie said he is concentrating on fulfilling the promises he made to voters, specifically recruiting health care professionals to the Strait area.
“As a councillor, health care was one of the priorities when I ran on in 2018 and after I was elected, council did take that on as an issue and made it a priority,” he noted.
On the subject of waterfront development, MacQuarrie said the town is waiting for the strategic plan.
“It’s being done in conjunction with the plan for the Marine Innovation Centre for the Creamery Building, so two things are going hand-in-hand,” he stated. “We’re really looking forward to it and we’re excited to see what’s going to be in the plan.”
Another priority for MacQuarrie is creating a strategy for more accessible, affordable housing in the town.
“That too is another priority for council this term. We’ve had a number of calls with Mike Kelloway around this Rapid Housing initiative announced by the federal government,” he added. “We’re really putting a focus on the housing because we know that’s an issue.”