World News – CA – McDougall defeats Clarke to become CBRM’s first female mayor

Amanda McDougall to be the next mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, after defeating two-term incumbent Cecil Clarke and four other challengers on Saturday night

First-term councilor won with almost 4,000 more votes than Clarke, becoming the town’s first female mayor

McDougall and Clarke clashed regularly at board meetings, with McDougall challenging Clarke’s management style and the frequent use of closed meetings

« These chambers have been out of the general public for a long time and one of my priorities from day one has been to bring people back into the decision-making process, » she said. p>

In the CBRM District results, outgoing Esmond (Blue) Marshall was beaten by Cyril MacDonald and outgoing Ivan Doncaster lost to Steve Parsons

Newcomers Gordon MacDonald, Glenn Paruch, James Edwards, Kenny Tracey, Darren O’Quinn and Lorne Green have been elected

McDougall said the board will be very different, but most believe decisions about projects like the new fire station and library must include public participation

« There has been such an uproar over the past four years for people who wanted and aspired to be more involved in municipal decision-making, » she said

« I have learned a lot from him over the past four years, but it is from the community at large that I learn my lessons »

Clarke surprised reporters on election night in 2016 by saying – without being asked – that he had no plans to run for a third term, after beating the president by New Dawn Enterprises, Rankin MacSween

However, Clarke changed her mind this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he was running again because CBRM needed the experience at the helm

Elsewhere in Cape Breton, Victoria County will have two new faces on council and both are women

Outgoing councilors Paul MacNeil, Bruce Morrison, Fraser Patterson and Larry Dauphinee went without opposition and were cheered

Cape Breton Regional Municipality, SaltWire Network, Cecil Clarke, Councilor