First vote for 10 municipalities

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This article was published 23/09/2014 (4120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many residents in the 10 newly formed municipalities in the southwest corner of Manitoba, the 2014 election might be the most important ballot cast in their lifetime.

The council that emerges following the Oct. 22 vote will be tasked with shaping how the municipality operates.

It’s why Bruce Gullet, who has been the mayor of Wawanesa for two terms and served as councillor for three terms prior, believes it’s important for the leader of the amalgamated Oakland-Wawanesa municipality to be democratic and a team player.

“The biggest challenge will be building a consensus between the village and the rural people,” said Gullett, 70, who is a financial adviser.

“There are concerns on both ends about the fairness of how utilities are going to be provided, financed and charged.”

Gullett said the wastewater treatment plant has been essentially out of service for the last 18 months and is a priority.

The election will pit the Wawanesa mayor against the RM of Oakland reeve, David Inkster, 74, who has served as head of the council for six terms, not consecutively.

A farmer, Inkster said the uncertainty of joining two municipalities has generated interest from ratepayers.

“There will be some growing pains,” Inkster said. “One of the main questions I’ve been asked is: ‘Where is our municipal office going to be located?’ It will be at the discretion of the new council and decided at the first meeting.”

While most perceive the province’s decision to introduce legislation to amalgamation as a forced merger, the law has created some of the highly contested battles in municipal politics in decades.

In the Two Borders RM — which will consist of the RMs of Albert, Arthur and Edward — Albert Reeve Tom Campbell will face Edward Coun. Debbie McMechan for the right to head the new council.

Eight other current reeves and mayors will face challenges in the southwest, including a battle for Wallace-Woodworth, which features the two reeves of the former RMs going up against each other.

The election is paramount, as the future reeve will be the swing vote for any deadlocked councils.

The municipality of Rivers and RM of Daly will amalgamate to form the Riverdale municipality.

Current Rivers Mayor Todd Gill is being challenged by Marlin Beever, who served as the reeve of the RM for three terms during the 1990s and 2000s.

The owner of a plumbing and heating company, Gill, 48, said the two municipalities already work together on several fronts, including the Riverdale Community Centre, fire department and recreation commission.

He said the first priority is a smooth merger.

“A lot of people aren’t happy about the way the amalgamations have come about, but from our perspective we don’t always have the luxury of choosing what the legislation will be,” Gill said. “We have a challenge and we have to make the best of what’s been handed to us. It’s not going to be an easy task, but if we have a group of progressive, proactive and positive people at the table, we should be able to make it happen.”

Other infrastructure initiatives are also a major concern, according to Gill, who said the lagoon has reached its capacity.

Beever, 64, is a farmer who also owns a greenhouse business in Rivers.

One issue that will have to be dealt with is policing, he said.

While almost all of Manitoba’s municipalities are policed by the RCMP, Rivers is different. The community has its own police force, something the RM, which relies on a national contract with the RCMP, doesn’t.

The lagoon is another challenge, according to Beever, who may have summarized best how several candidates are feeling heading into the first election after amalgamation.

“We felt it was important that there was some representation from the RM because of the merger,” Beever said. “Choice is always good.”

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List of Candidates:

Two Borders

Head of Council: Tom Campbell, Debbie McMechan

Ward 1: Thomas Dickson

Ward 2: Karen Jones

Ward 3 (1): Delmer Jones, Brian Sterling

Ward 4: Jeff McKinney

Ward 5: Vacant

Ward 6: Wayne Serruys

Ward 7 (3): Harvey Campbell, Carey Murray, Aileen Tucker

LUD Pierson (3): Morag Schonken, Cheryl Arndt, Angie McNish-Maffenbeier

Melita (No election)

Head of Council: William Holden

Coun: Alby Morris, Jocelyn Skelton, Raymond Smithson, Brian Teetaert

Brenda-Waskada

Head of Council: Gary Williams, Don Wickham

Ward 1: Jordan Morningstar

Ward 2: Kelly Guenther

Ward 3 (1): Frank Prince, David Vanmackelbergh

Ward 4: Kirsty Mann

Waskada (2): Kandise Bertholet, Keith Hannah, Sterling Jolly, James Shukin

Deloraine-Winchester

Head of Council: Carmel Olson, Gordon Weidenhamer

Ward 1: Jeff Johnston

Ward 2: Jerry Redden

Ward 3: Barry Janssens

Ward 4 (1): John Bell, Richard Sexton

Deloraine (4): William Cheyne, Brian Franklin, Roy Hathaway, Cliff Kirkwood, Jerry Sytnyk, Danette VanCauwenberghe

Boissevain-Morton

Head of Council: Ed Anderson

Morton (4): Bob McCallum, Elmer McCallum, Doug Robertson, Dave Stead, Rhonda Coupland

Boissevain (4): Rob Adams, Eric Reichert, Lonnie Graham, Judy Swanson

Grassland

Head of Council: Blair Woods

Ward 1: Claude Martin

Ward 2 (1): Ewen Mosby, James Jasper, Brendan Hicks

Ward 3: Scott Hunt

Hartney (3): Chris Murray, Coral Miller, Murray Temple, Bruce Evans

Ward 5: Bob Miller

Ward 6: John Sparrow

Ward 7 (1): Reinie Weenink, Nick Nowazek

LUD Minto (3): Blair Stewart, Terry Campbell, Greg Workman

LUD Elgin (3): George Weitman, two vacancies

Oakland-Wawanesa

Head of Council: Bruce Gullett, David Inkster

Wawanesa (2): Robert McDonald, Ivan Paradis, Glen Parsons

Ward 2 (2): Neil Bok, Carl Gibb, Morley Rome (Dennis)

Ward 3 (2): Perry Gullett, Stan Kozak, Dean Mushie, Joseph Donald Nault, Darcy Wilton

Souris-Glenwood

Head of Council: Darryl Jackson, Barb Lynch

Glenwood (3): Doug Denning, Detlef Eissner, Darcy Gerow, Joe Goodwill, Jackie Kirkup, Gerry Williams

Souris (3): Leslie Chudley, Sande Denbow, Mark Gillis, Mandy Landers, William Tanguay

Sifton

Head of Council: Fred Faucher, Rick Plaisier

Ward 1: Clement Gervais

Ward 2: Scott Phillips

Ward 3: Larry Wallace

Ward 4: Cyril Druwe

Ward 5: Steve Baron

Ward 6: Stan Cochrane

Ward 7 (2): Dave Roulette, Jeff Sigurdson

LUD Oak Lake (2): Ron Enns Jr., Margaret Foy

Pipestone

Head of Council: Archie McPherson

Ward 1 (1): Lane Wanless, James Watt

Ward 2 (1): Myles VanDamme, Garnet Williamson

Ward 3: Gary Nicholson

Ward 4: Randy Henuset

Ward 5: Sheila Kuntz Kotylak

Ward 6: No candidate

LUD Reston (2): Barb Schiltroth, Terri Williamson

Wallace-Woodworth

Head of Council: Denis Carter, Don Neufeld

Ward 1 (2): Val Caldwell, Murray Routledge

Ward 3 (1): Clayton Canart, Roland Gagnon, Denis Lachapelle

Ward 2 (3): Adam Bajus, Sandy Heaman, Rea Kinnarid, Herb Manser, Barb Stambuski

LUD Elkhorn (2): Corinne Nesbitt, Kevin Tutthill

LUD Kenton (2): Bob Good, Gerry Nolan, Lloyd Waterman

Virden (No election)

Head of Council: Jeff McConnell

Coun: Joe Careme, Tara Cowan, Lomer Girardin, Brock Koop, Zachary Penner, Tina Williams

Whitehead

Head of Council: Heather Curle, Wayne Dobbie, Dennis Gaboury

Ward 1: Allan Sutherland

Ward 2 (1): Walter Finlay, Jim Gillon

Ward 3 (1): Bruce Locke, Bob Willman

Ward 4 (1): John Bokkel, Shane Burgoyne

Ward 5: Darryl Speers

Ward 6 (1): Rod McKay, Greg Rabe

LUD Alexander (3): John Dalgleish, Jeremy Johnston, Mary Jo Matthews, Tom Maxwell

Cornwallis

Head of Council: Heather Dalgleish

Ward 1 (2): Kristy Forrestall, Ward Greer, Sam Hofer, Mike Waddell, Kurt Wasserberg

Ward 2 (2): Bob Brown, Karen Burton, Emil Egert, Don Mitchell

Riverdale

Head of Council: Marlin Beever, Todd Gill

Coun (6): Darren Bray, Ian Dyer, Dave Falkevitch, Larry Fast, Tim Gray, Warren Smallwood, Byran Smith, Ken Tait, Cam White

Elton (No election)

Head of Council: Ross Farley

Ward 1: Donna Mitchell

Ward 2: Gregg Campbell

Ward 3: Harvey Paterson

Ward 4: Ches Bollman

Ward 5: Cameron Hales

Ward 6: Danny Kowbel