Paula Radwan. (Image: Facebook/Paula Radwan for Council Ward 4 SJ)
A Saint John councillor-elect will make history Monday when she is sworn in using a Quran rather than a Bible.
Paula Radwan believes she may be the first Muslim councillor elected in New Brunswick to be sworn in using the Quran, though Elections NB could not confirm as they don’t track religious affiliation of candidates.
The ceremony will happen one week after the rest of council was sworn in, just before the incoming council’s first meeting due to a recount in Ward 4, where Radwan and fellow councillor-elect Greg Stewart were elected by the narrowest margin of any ward.
Because City Hall doesn’t have a copy of the Quran, Radwan will be sworn in using a version that her friend from university will bring for the ceremony.
“I think I’ll be quite emotional actually,” Radwan laughed. “I didn’t think so in the beginning, but as the time gets closer and I’m actually seeing the historical significance behind it I feel like it might be a bit of an emotional time for me.”
“It’s the sign of change, and people wanting the community to be more and more inclusive. Now’s a great time for that.”
Throughout the campaign, Radwan says she heard from many residents who told her how meaningful it was to see a Muslim woman seeking office and wearing hijab on her campaign signs.
One example came when she was approached outside an advanced polling station by a woman from Nigeria.
“She came up to me and was very emotional and said ‘I’m not allowed to vote, I only have my permanent residency, but you’re really making me feel like maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. … It’s making me feel like I can actually really become part of the community,'” Radwan said.
“That made me happy and upset at the same time,” she added. “Because she should already feel like she’s part of the community.”
Though Radwan may be a newcomer to the council horseshoe, she estimates she’s been attending the meetings as a citizen for the better part of ten years. In fact, she is likely among the Saint Johners who have consumed the most amount of council content over the past several years, as she says she typically watches each meeting twice.
This past weekend, councillors met for their orientation session. Radwan estimates they were given three big binders containing 800 pages worth of information.
“I was a little bit concerned, but as I started going through this orientation packet I realized most of the presentations and reports in there – I’ve already reviewed,” she said.
Radwan wants to bring a few new ideas to council. She hopes to sit on the Growth Committee and bring forward a few population and growth ideas.
She says she’s already spoken to Envision Saint John, the new regional growth agency representing the Greater Saint John area, and that she quickly learned they were on the same page.
“I’m so incredibly connected to the newcomer, immigrant community that I hope to be able to help integrate some people that are sitting at the council table that are maybe not as connected.”
In addition to the immigrant community, Radwan cites the importance of connecting with newcomers from western Canada and the United States as well, as the city chases its goal of adding 2,000 new residents each year.
Since her election was first announced, Radwan says things have changed for her. She’s heard from many constituents already lobbying for changes and upgrades in their neighbourhood.
But the councillor-elect feels her biggest challenge will be meeting her own expectations.
“I have huge expectations for council in general, so that has translated into me having huge expectations for myself,” Radwan said. “I have so many things that I want to do.
“So I just keep kind of telling myself ‘one foot before the other. You have four years, there’s lots to do but you have lots of time to do it. You don’t have to do it all in the first month.'”
