It’s the end of an era with this Saint John council holding its final ever meeting on Monday evening after being elected four years ago in the 2012 election.
Councillors around the horseshoe taking the oppportunity to praise one another, staff and especially outgoing mayor Mel Norton, who is expected to announce his bid to run for leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative party on Wednesday.
Councillor-at-large Shirley McAlary telling mayor Norton that he’s kept them focused for four years: “I think probably this is the first time the city has focused on priorities and kept it together for that length of time for the council time of four years,” says McAlary, who presented the mayor with a plaque.
Ward 4 councillor David Merrithew telling the mayor that it has been a “wonderful experience working with” him.
Ward 1 councillor Greg Norton telling the other councillors he’s lucky to have served with them: “you’ve certainly helped me, you’ve challenged me and you’ve broadened my perspective on a wide range of things,” says councillor Norton.
Mayor Mel Norton spoke about what has been accomplished over the last four years though he did preface that by saying he wouldn’t be able to summarize everything — he pointed to the Harbour Cleanup, the pension, investments in road, the new open data system, the one stop development shop, and the Safe Clean Drinking Water project.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve the City of Saint John,” says mayor Norton. He says that the next mayor and council are going to take us into exciting times and that there are huge economic development projects on the way.
Of the current council, only mayor Norton and councillor Susan Fullerton are not running in the Saint John municipal election on Monday.
Thanks for the honour of representing you on City Council. I won’t be re-offering in the May election. Hard decision. I’ll miss serving you.
— Susan Fullerton (@susan_fullerton) March 24, 2016
Norton’s announcement is happening at the Trinity Room in the Delta at 12:15pm on Wednesday.
Joignez-vous à nous ce mercredi! / Please join us on Wednesday! pic.twitter.com/7DANcgmt8W
— Mel Norton (@MelnortonNB) May 3, 2016
There are currently four candidates running for the PC leadership: former MP Mike Allen, lawyer Monica Barley and MLAs Blaine Higgs and Brian Macdonald.
