Special Edition • SJ Votes • Ward 1 • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com • I Want To Vote
How Do Municipal Elections Work?
By: Alexy Guerrero I want to vote because I think it is one of my responsibilities as a citizen. I will vote for the first time in the municipal election in May. I am a Canadian citizen now. I think voting should be mandatory for everyone. I believe it’s our moral obligation to vote and to have our voice heard.
By Matthew Smith, Josh Forward and Kelly Consolvo This year, municipal elections will be held on May 14, and the new city council will assume office on May 28. Saint John is divided into four sectors: North, South, West and East and each have approximately equal populations. Each sector is referred to as a ward. Candidates who live in each ward in Saint John compete for the position of councillor in the city council of Saint John.
The democratic system here is among the best in the world. In some countries, voting rights don’t always equal the rights and privileges enjoyed by Canadians. For example, in my country of origin, Colombia, there was a lot of intimidation and it was not safe to go to the polling station to vote, there were so much corruption.
Pictured here is Alexy Guerrero (Picture Courtesy of Cathy Kilpatrick)
Here in Canada I can now feel and experience for the first time in my life what the freedom of voting and choosing a party and person really means.
Residents of Saint John will vote for two of the candidates who are running in their ward. For example, a resident of the East side can vote for two candidates who wish to represent the East side. Also, people in Saint John will vote for two more councillors at-large and one mayor at large. This means that during the upcoming municipal elections, you will vote for five people: two people that will represent your ward, two councillors that will represent the whole city and one mayor. All eligible voters are mailed a voter’s information card which gives information on where to vote. Residents who do not receive one should contact the returning office or Elections NB. For voters who are unable to leave their home or are hospitalized, a special ballot can be used. A special ballot is when an election official from the returning office takes a ballot and ballot box to the voter. Voters who require this type of assistance can call Elections New Brunswick at 1-888-858-VOTE (8683).
Vote! Vote! Vote! Guest Editor: Randy Hatfield SJ Votes believes that increasing voter turnout in the priority neighbourhoods will make elected officials pay more attention to the issues in these neighbourhoods. We believe that when more voters in the priority neighbourhoods show up to cast a ballot, the chance that their interests and concerns will be on the Council agenda improves. In the last municipal election, fewer than 50% of the eligible voters showed up. Did you know that : • • • • •
Voting rates increase with age. Older people vote more often than young people. Studies say that many young people know little or nothing about how politics works. Voting rates increase with education. The voting rate for people with a university degree is higher than those with a high school education or less. Employed people are more likely to vote. And people who work in the public sector or in high-skill occupations are the most likely to vote. Homeowners vote in much higher numbers than renters. Homeowners receive an annual property tax bill while renters have the tax bill hidden in the rent. A tax bill is a great reminder to vote! Single parents with young children are the least likely to vote, while couples with no young children are the most likely.
Take a look at our ward maps in this edition. Based on what you now know, which ward would have the highest turnout? The lowest? Are you going to vote? Will more voters in the priority neighbourhoods go to the polls this time? We hope so! We hope that this Special Edition of Around the Block will remind readers to vote – and you can vote before election day on May 14th. Check out inside for details. Whenever you show up, vote for the candidates who reflect your values, interests and concerns. Let’s put priority neighborhood issues on the radar screen of the next City council. Randy Hatfield is the Executive Director of the Human Development Council.
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Special Edition • SJ Votes • Ward 1 • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com • Ward 1 Map
Ward 1 City Council Candidates Blake J. Armstrong Bill Farren Ed Hoyt Peter McGuire Greg J. Norton Al Vienneau
Male Male Male Male Male Male
Incumbent Incumbent
Why Is It Important To Vote By: Colton Richard, Amy Walsh, Devon Brown This is your opportunity to shape the direction of your community by choosing its leaders for the next four years. Sadly, it is a responsibility that too few electors have taken up in the past. Only 49.9% of electors voted during the 2008 Saint John municipal election. Voting is one way where your personal opinion actually matters and can make a difference. Anyone concerned about improved urban transit, fair taxes, clean streets, efficient garbage collection and recycling, recreational facilities and well-maintained roads has good reason to vote. Electing the wrong people to local office could trigger long-term damage in all these areas. Voting can have a significant impact on our daily lives - this is why it is so important for voters to be informed and take the time to vote.
50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
Photo courtesy of City of Saint John Ward 1 Includes: Fundy Heights, Island View Heights, Churchill Heights, Spruce Lake , Lorneville, Milford, Acamac, Ketepec, Belmont, Morna Heights, Martinon and parts of the West Side until Duke Street West. For further information on your ward, visit http://geonb.snb.ca/electionsnb/index.html/. If you have any questions about your ward or polling station contact the returning office, 658-5737.
City
Ward 1
Renters (%)
30
Ward 1 Stats 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0
25
19
20
68043
15 10 5 0
16584
City
Ward 1
Single Parent Families (%)
City
Ward 1
23.5 23 22.5 22 21.5 21 20.5 20 19.5 19 18.5
Population 70
25
62
62
60 50 40
23
20
City
30
Ward 1
High School Non-Completion Rate (%)
20 10
25
0 City
Ward 1
21
20
Labour Force Participation Rate (%)
15 8
10 5 0 City
Page 2
Poverty Rate (%)
Ward 1
Special Edition • SJ Votes • Ward 2 • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com • Ward 2 City Council Candidates
Ward 2 Map
Susan Fullerton Patricia (Patty) Higgins Morgan James Lanigan John MacKenzie H. Gary Sullivan
Female Female Incumbent Male Male Male Incumbent
Municipal Elections In Mexico By Hepzibah Munoz Martinez Citizens in Saint John should not take for granted the right to participate in the upcoming municipal elections. I do not take this right for granted. As a permanent resident of Canada, I pay taxes and participate in community initiatives but I cannot vote in any election. As a Mexican citizen, the right to vote in free and fair elections is a recent experience. For more than seventy years, the same political party governed at the federal level and in most state and municipal governments. Currently, other political parties are in power at different levels of government in Mexico. Yet, drug cartels, through intimidation and corruption, prevent people from voting for candidates opposed to organized crime and in favour of social justice at the municipal level. People in many parts of the world cannot exercise their right to vote in municipal elections. If you can exercise that right, ask questions to your candidates and participate in the upcoming municipal elections.
Photo courtesy of City of Saint John Ward 2 Includes: Douglas Avenue, Old North End, Crescent Valley, Anglin Drive, Rockland Road area, Millidgeville to Foster Thurston Drive. For further information on your ward, visit http://geonb.snb.ca/electionsnb/index.html/. If you have any questions about your ward or polling station contact the returning office, 658-5737.
23
Ward 2 Stats
23
22.5 22
80000 70000
23.5
21.5
68043
21
21
60000
20.5
50000
20
40000
City
Ward 2
Renters (%)
30000 16987
20000 10000 0 City
Population
30
Ward 2
25 63 62
28
21
20 62
15
61
10
60 59
5
58
57
57
0 City
56
Ward 2
Poverty Rate (%)
55 54 City
Ward 2
Labour Force Particpation Rate (%) 23.5 23
31
22.5
30
30
22
29
21.5
28
25
21
21
27 26
23
20.5
25
20
24
City
23
Ward 2
High School Non-Completion (%)
22 City
Single Parent Families (%)
Ward 2
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Special Edition • SJ Votes • Ward 3 • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com • Ward 3 Map
Ward 3 City Council Candidates Christie M. Belyea Allen Leslie Patrick McCaffery Donna Reardon Donnie Snook Graeme Stewart Robertston Albert A Vincent
Male Male Male Female Male Male
Incumbent
Male
Did You Know? Did you know that Elsie Wayne was the first elected female Mayor of Saint John. She served as Mayor from 1983 until 1993. She claimed Saint John was “the best little city in the East.”
35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 City
Ward 3
Single Parent Families (%)
Photo courtesy of City of Saint John Ward 3 Includes: Lower West Side, Uptown, Lower South End, Red Head, Rothesay Avenue, Morland Trailer Park, Silver Falls, Micheal Crescent, Bonita Crescent, Mount Pleasant Avenue East area. For further information on your ward, visit http:// geonb.snb.ca/electionsnb/index.html/. If you have any questions about your ward or polling station contact the returning office, 658-5737.
66
70 60 50
44
40 30 20 10 0
Ward 3 Stats
City
Renters (%)
Ward 3
80000 70000
68043 26.5
60000
26
50000
25.5
26
25
40000
24.5
30000
24
17232
20000
23.5 23
10000
23
22.5
0 City
22
Ward 3
21.5
Population
City
Ward 3
High School Non-Completion (%)
70
62
62
40
60
34
35
50
30
40
25
30
20
21
15
20
10
10
5
0 City
0
Ward 3
City
Labour Force Participation (%)
Page 4
Poverty Rate (%)
Ward 3
Special Edition • SJ Votes • Ward 4 • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com • Ward 4 Map
Ward 4 City Council Candidates Mark Leblanc David Merrithew Ray Stowbridge Scott Waddell
Male Male Male Male
**There are no Incumbent Councillor in this ward.
Why I Decided To Vote
By: Jennifer Saulnier Well, I decided to vote now for many different reasons, some of them of course would be about how, where or who to even vote for. All my life up until now I never knew anything about voting. I recently finished a skills link program at the John Howard Society and after that I had a placement at the United Way of Saint John where I learned from the employees there how to vote and why. What got my attention the most, I must say, would be the fact that only 49% of the population voted last time which means, if you think about it, 25% made the decisions for all of us. Thinking back I can remember hearing people say “what is one more vote anyway?”. If there are 200 people saying that exact same thing, then there are 200 people that don’t vote just for that one reason. I know, and I think I would speak for everyone when I say, I want to vote for someone that is going to help our community and may share some of my values and beliefs. Trust me when I say that one vote will make all the difference. I am very exited to go and vote and know that my vote had a part in the decision. I hope everyone out there who has never voted will learn about it and vote. Like I said every vote counts. 30 25
25 20
20
Photo courtesy of City of Saint John
15
Ward 4 Includes: Glen Falls, Forest Hills, High Meadow Park, Champlain Heights, Lakewood Heights, Goldent Grove, up to Garnett Settlement. For further information on your ward, visit http://geonb.snb.ca/electionsnb/index.html/. If you have any questions about your ward or polling station contact the returning office, 658-5737.
10 5 0 City
50 45
Ward 4 Stats
Ward 4
Single Parent Families (%)
44
40 35 30 25
70000
21
20
80000
15
68043
10
60000
5
50000
0 City
40000
Renters (%)
Ward 4
30000 17234
20000
25
10000
23
23
20
0 City
Ward 4
Population
15 10 5
65.5
65
65
0
64.5
City
Ward 4
High School Non-Completion (%)
64 63.5 63 62.5 62
25
62
20
61.5 61
15
60.5 City
Ward 4
10
Labour Force Participation (%)
5 0 City
Ward 4
Poverty Rate (%)
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o
Special Edition • SJ Votes • Mayor/ At Large • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com •
Mayor Candidates Joseph Alan Callahan Ivan Court Mel K. Norton Matthew D. Thompson
Councillor At Large Candidates Male Male Male Male
John Campbell Mary Ellen Carpenter Shirley McAlary Shelley M. Rinehart Jason Robertson Mike Sheppard
Incumbent
Sample Voter Card Below is an a sample ballot you will see on May 14th,2012. Every voter in Saint John will have the opportunity to fill 7 positions. Below is the list of offices each voter can vote for: Mayor – 1 Vote Councillor at Large – 2 Votes Ward Councillor – 2 Votes District Education Council (DEC) -1 Vote Regional Health Authority (RHA) – 1 Vote
Male Female Female Female Male Male
**There are no Incumbent Councillors in this ward.
What Are The People Elected In The Municipal Elections Responsible For? By: Asif Abbas, Thilo Spaninks, and Natalia Hicks City Council is responsible for local issues - in other words, the majority of your daily concerns and the services you use daily. The decisions made by city council affect you daily. Think about it from the perspective of your neighbourhood and community. What concerns you, close to home? Are you satisfied with transit services offered in Saint John? Are you engaged with the social development of your community and neighbourhood? Is affordable housing available in your community? Do you rely on the day to day services provided by the city such as garbage removal and the provision of drinking water? Do you feel safe and secure within your community based on its emergency services? In general, City Council is in charge of deciding over: • Community centres, P.R.O Kids, seniors programs, sport fields, playgrounds, community events calendar • Public safety, police, fire and rescue • Planning and the promotion of tourism • Garbage & compost collection • Parks & city landscape • Drinking water and wastewater • Roadways and sidewalks • Public transit • Parking All of these above mentioned concerns are local. They are the responsibility of the municipal government and affect your life. It is therefore important to become involved in the choosing of your municipal representatives.
Questions To Ask The Candidates
By: Christopher Ogden, Eden Daly and Bill Fitzpatrick Do you have questions that you would like the candidates in the upcoming election to answer about the future of your neighbourhood? Often it is difficult to know what to ask and what the right questions are, to obtain meaningful answers from the candidates. Time with candidates may be limited – here are a few tips that may help make the best use of your time. First, be prepared; do some work in advance. Know the candidate; have an idea of their responsibilities as a councillor or mayor (what they can and cannot do); make notes to yourself - know what you want to discuss and put them in the order of importance to you. Questions should be short and to the point. Still having difficulty knowing what to ask? The following suggestions may help: • • • • •
“Where do you stand on … [a high priority issue for you]?” “What would you do in order to fix … [another key issue for you]?” “What would your three priorities for my neighbourhood be in your first term?” Perhaps “affordable housing” is on your mind? City transit cuts and services? “What will you do to help improve these services?” “Why should I vote for you?”
Do not be afraid to ask the hard questions; and get to know the candidates. They will be making the decisions for your future - make sure to vote. Page 6
Special Edition • SJ Votes •DEC /RHA • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com •
Regional Health Authority
District Education Council
Subdistrict 3 (Saint John, Includes all 5 Priority Neighbourhoods), Elect 1 Candidate
Subdistrict 4 (West Area), Elect 1 Candidate
Brian R. Barrett Michael Costello Marjoirie Elizabeth (Mardi) Currie M. Joni Donelle Linda G. Forestell Debbie D. McCormack (Lamb)
Male Male Female Female Female Female
Leanne Bird Royce M. Barton Wendy Coughlin Gerald W. Mabey
Female Male Female Male
Subdistrict 5 (South End/Waterloo Village Area), Elect 1 Candidate
Donald Cullinan Vern M. Garnett
Male Male
Subdistrict 5 (Crescent Valley/Old North End Area), Elect 1 Candidate
Catherine Derry Brian Richard Hanlon Robert J. McDevitt Michael Willis
Female Male Male Male
District Education Council
By: Brenda Murphy On May 14th, District Education Councils (DEC) for the newly amalgamated districts will be elected. The DEC is responsible for hiring and evaluating the Superintendent of the district – and works closely with that individual to help build community partnerships, monitor the district budget, and help to establish the overall goals of the district. The DEC creates policies which the Superintendent and other district staff then work to put into practice.
Regional Health Authority By: Brenda Murphy On election day May 14 we will again have the opportunity to vote for people who would like to be members of the Regional Health Authority Board. This group is responsible for looking after health care services in New Brunswick that include hospitals, community health centers, public health and mental health services, addictions and extra-mural services. We know that health care services are very important to many people in Saint John. During this election, individuals will be offering to become members of the Regional Health Authority Board. We have the chance to vote for someone in our region who can be OUR VOICE - to ensure that we have the kind of health services in our region that will work for us. On May 14, please be sure to vote for a Regional Health Authority representative.
Empower Yourself At The Ballot Box By Brenda Murphy Coordinator, Urban Core Support Network The Urban Core Support Network (UCSN) is an organization interested in reducing poverty in Saint John. For many years, we have had a committee that worked on trying to change government policies that people felt were barriers to moving out of poverty. The Policy Advisory/SJ Votes committee is made up of people from various organizations as well as people who live in poverty. This year we decided to focus on encouraging people in priority neighbourhoods to vote. When people vote, they are using their voice; when politicians see that priority neighbourhoods have had lots of people out to vote, they will want to know about the important issues from those neighbourhoods and to work with residents to address those issues. We have been working hard to have polling locations set up in priority neighbourhoods as well as making sure people have transportation on election day. We hope everyone who can vote will do so on May 14th.
The DEC plays an important role in the education system and is a wonderful way to contribute to your community. Make sure to cast your vote on election day and have your say in how our school district meets the needs of your children.
Focus On Voting
By Juanita Black, Coordinator, Around the Block. Phone: 647-4850. Email: sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com Welcome to this unique edition of Around The Block. We have partnered with Elections New Brunswick to bring you this unique 8 page edition of Around The Block(ATB) . This issue of ATB highlights the 4 wards, the District Education Council and the Regional Health Authority. We are encouraging you to become an informed voter by providing you with Ward stats and a list of all candidates running in your ward. It is important that you get out to vote. I always remember voting and being happy to be able to express my opinion by voting. My voice and opinion is no different from yours. But you have to use your vote to express your opinion. Around The Block has worked to coordinate this issue with Saint John Votes, and it is our hope that this committee’s efforts will help increase the voter turnout in our priority neighbourhoods. Residents have shown by speaking up in each community that their voices do make a difference. Let’s carry that voice on and bring it to the polls in our communities on May 14th. If you need a drive on election day give us a call at 647-4850 and we will help you out. There are lots of community updates throughout the paper.
Did You Know? Did you know that the councillor who recieves the most votes on election day traditionally becomes the Deputy Mayor of the City of Saint John?
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Special Edition • SJ Votes • sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com • Empowerment And Pride
Get On The Bus To Vote! By: Brenda Murphy On May 3rd, we are encouraging organizations who offer programs to people in our priority neighbourhoods, to get on board the bus to vote. SJ Transit in partnership with the Saint John Votes Committee will provide transportation for groups to vote at the Returning Office located at Suite103, 358 Rothesay Avenue. To sign up for this exciting opportunity or for more information please contact Brenda Murphy at 642-9033.
Students learning about the voting process (Photo courtesy of Janelle Flanagan) By: Janelle Flanagan In late September 2010, a group of adult learners and staff from the Saint John Learning Exchange walked together from Union Street to the advance polling station located on Waterloo Street to vote in the NB Provincial Election. For most, it was their very first time voting. Many expressed a sense of nervousness at the thought of going to vote. They were afraid that others would expect them to know what to do and do it effortlessly. Fear of the unknown kept many from voting in the past - the prospect of going as a group has helped calm this concern. In its place came empowerment and pride! I encourage each eligible citizen to exercise their right to vote during the municipal election on May 14. If you feel nervous or intimidated to go alone, take advantage of the community events available to support you in taking this first step. As a past learner wrote: “Every vote is a voice heard”.
Voter Information Card
By: Elections New Brunswick A person’s name must be on the voters list in order to vote. If you are on the list, you should receive a Voter Information Card in the mail. If you have not received a Voter Information Card by May 4, 2012, your name is likely not on the list (or not under your current address).
How To Vote By Special Ballot By: Elections New Brunswick For electors who wish to vote prior to the advance polls or on election day, special ballots will be available starting April 23, 2012 at all municipal returning offices. Special Ballots: Special Ballots are a means for electors to cast a ballot if they choose not to vote during the advance polls or on Election Day. A voter from one municipality, school district or health region can also use a Special Ballot to vote from elsewhere in the province for a candidate in the place where they normally live. Special Ballots are also used for electors who are in nursing homes, special care homes, federal or provincial correctional facilities, patients in the hospital, or electors unable to leave their homes because of illness or incapacity.
You can have your name added to the list by completing an application for addition at the Municipal Returning Office until May 10, 2012, or at the regular or advance polls when you go to vote.
Did You Know? Did you know that the first Mayor of Saint John was Gabriel G. Ludlow. He held office from 1785 till 1795. At that time, Mayors were appointed by the Governor -In-General.
SJ Votes Team Brenda Murphy, Randy Hatfield, Hepzibah Munoz, Michael Bulter, Christina Fowler, Laura Anderson, Rachael Kelly, Ron Oldfield, Jill Rogers, Cindy Kilpatrick, Mary LeSage, and Juanita Black Proof readers: Mark Driscoll, Shawn Parlee and Randy Hatfield Layout and Design: Chris Hopkins, and Juanita Black
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