Cavendish, P.E.I. mayor’s seat contested for first time since 2014

CAVENDISH, P.E.I. — For the primary time in nearly a decade, the mayoral place in P.E.I.’s resort municipality is being contested.

Coun. Invoice Drost has introduced he might be working for mayor within the upcoming Aug. 8 election, competing in opposition to incumbent mayor Matthew Jelley.

“I believe our municipality is prepared for some change. We haven’t had a contested election for some time within the Resort Municipality, so I believed it might be good to present voters a alternative,” mentioned Drost throughout a cellphone interview with SaltWire Community.

Having served on council for the final three years, Drost mentioned he has recognized various areas the place he believes the municipality might be ruled higher, equivalent to transparency, which he intends to take motion on if elected.

“Our choices should be clear they usually should be truthful, and I believe that’s a key underpinning of why I’m working,” he mentioned. “I really feel our council conferences have too many in-camera classes the place we ought to be discussing the general public’s enterprise in public and never behind closed doorways. I really feel once we decide, we have to extra clearly articulate it on why we decided that manner.”

Drost mentioned council ought to be extra accessible to residents by placing members’ contact data on the municipality’s web site. At the moment, Drost is the one member with contact data on the web site.

Drost additionally mentioned he want to see council conferences be live-streamed on YouTube and archived to allow them to be watched by residents at a later date.

“We’re a really distinctive municipality in that we’ve people who find themselves non-residents who even have a vote and curiosity,” he mentioned. “Now we have those who reside all throughout Canada and North America that personal property right here who’ve a vested curiosity in how our authorities works, so we’ve maybe an elevated accountability much more than different municipalities to ensure we’re ready to connect with our residents and voters.”

Clear council

Jelley, nonetheless, says council has by no means been extra clear than it’s now, particularly since adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During the last two years, all of our conferences have been on Zoom and anyone can be a part of and participate,” he mentioned. “What we have truly seen is extra engagement and feedback from the general public as a result of individuals will put it on. Perhaps they’re doing one thing else on that Monday evening, however they’re a part of it.”

Jelley mentioned because the 2018 Municipal Authorities Act, the whole lot council decides is thru resolutions and bylaws, which means the whole lot exhibits up within the assembly minutes posted to the municipality’s website. This observe wasn’t in place earlier than his time on council.

With regards to giving on-line entry to council members’ contact data, Jelley mentioned he has issues as to how which may work out.

“We mentioned that (choice) can be a alternative for the following council to resolve how every councillor needed to try this,” he mentioned. “There’s a concern with that. When you get councillors doing one-on-one discussions with residents, it is tougher to make it possible for all the knowledge is correct. The phrases of the councillor may get twisted or maybe the particular person might not perceive.”

Jelley, who was initially elected in 2014 and was acclaimed in 2018, mentioned over that point, he has confronted most of the distinctive challenges council should think about when making choices for the assorted communities they serve.

“I believe one of many largest challenges is the seasonality within the winter months,” he mentioned. “Now we have a year-round inhabitants of about 300, however at present, there are most likely 15,000 individuals within the resort municipality. So, with our companies and our group infrastructure, we’ve to have the ability to afford it on a year-round foundation, but it surely needs to be massive sufficient and sophisticated sufficient to serve days like at present.”

At a look

Aug. 8 election

• Voting will happen on the Resort Municipality Boardroom at 7591 Cawnpore Lane in Cavendish from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Advance voting might be open Aug. 6 on the identical location from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• A full record of nominees might be discovered at resortmunicipalitypei.com.
• The Resort Municipality of Stanley Bridge, Hope River, Bayview, Cavendish and North Rustico is the one resort municipality in Prince Edward Island.

Rural voices

Drost mentioned the distinctive range of the resort municipality must be higher balanced on the subject of decision-making to make sure those that reside within the extra rural areas obtain the identical consideration as those that are in the principle hubs of the municipality.

“We spend the overwhelming majority, if not all of our infrastructure {dollars}, on the principle strip in Cavendish,” he mentioned. “We have to proceed to assist infrastructure that helps these companies there, however we additionally have to not overlook we’ve many residents out and across the countryside in locations like Bayview and Stanley Bridge, Hope River which might be additionally a part of our group as effectively.”

With the election solely days away, each Drost and Jelley mentioned they might be campaigning in an effort to safe their spot as mayor. For Drost, he mentioned if elected, he intends to start out implementing adjustments as quickly as he can.

“I believe in authorities, it takes some time to alter issues, so I’m not going to vow anyone something besides that I’m going to attempt,” he mentioned. “One factor I believe you will note (if elected) is there gained’t be choices made outdoors of the council room, they are going to be made contained in the council room. And also you’ll see extra data posted on our web site as quickly as we will discover the assets to place it there and as quickly as councillors conform to put cash in the direction of these priorities.”

For Jelley, he mentioned he’s wanting ahead to chatting with residents in regards to the successes the present council has dropped at the world and appears ahead to presumably persevering with that work.

“I believe those who know me and people who have labored with me know what they’re getting with me,” he mentioned. “I will be trustworthy, I will be frank, however when it is time to decide, we’ll present management on it and we’ll go full steam forward.”

Cody McEachern is a enterprise reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He might be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @CodyInHiFi.