School Board, Ex-Teacher Headed To Judicial Review

A judicial review has been scheduled between the South Shore Regional School Board and a former elementary school teacher. The two sides will be in Halifax court Tuesday morning to discuss details around the board's firing of the employee. The teacher plead guilty to one count of willfully engaging in indecent acts in 2009. The court issued a conditional discharge in 2009, but the accused was fired by the local school board because they felt his actions were inappropriate for a teacher. The male teacher is arguing he was unjustly fired by the board and is looking to be re-instated. The review will begin at 11am in Halifax.

Chester Council Will Select New Warden On Nov. 8

The new council in Chester will select their warden by secret ballot on November 8th. Veteran warden Allen Webber successfully retained his District 4 seat in a hard fought victory over newcomer Stephen Bond on Saturday night. Webber will be the favourite to return to the warden's office in Chester. He has held the position for the past 18 years. The new council will feature a mix of veteran and rookie members. Andre Veinotte and Tina Connors are the new faces after election night victory's in their respective districts. Incumbents Brad Armstrong, Floyd Shatford, Bob Myra and Sharon Church Cornelius will round out the remaining seats on council.

VIDEO: Skilled Trades Funding For Forest Heights

A new skilled trades centre is just the start of some major renovations about to begin at Forest Heights Community School. The province has announced the Chester Basin school will also get a new roof, sprinkler system and energy-efficient lighting. The new additions are expected to cost $920,000 as part of the Dexter government's $15-million funding announced for the South Shore in August. Vice Principal John Doucette says the centre and renovations are a benefit for the future.



Forest Heights will be the second South Shore school to have a skilled trades centre. The program will be offered to students next September.

Accused Kidnapper Back In Court On Tuesday

A bail hearing will take place on Tuesday in Bridgewater for a 47 year-old man charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement and sexual assault. David James Leblanc will make his second court appearance since his arrest in northern Ontario earlier this month. Leblanc led police on a week-long man hunt which ended on October 1st when police picked him up on a logging road near Long Lac, Ontario. He is accused of confining and sexually assaulting a 16 year-old boy for over a week in Upper Chelsea. Leblanc is facing seven charges in total and is being held at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.

Lunenburg Teen Faces Stunting Charge/Fine

RCMP have charged a Lunenburg-area teenager with stunting after he was clocked going 63 kilometres over the speed limit near Exit 12. According to police, the 17 year-old was traveling 163 in a 100 zone along the stretch of Highway 103, near Bridgewater. RCMP say the driver had just recently received his license. If convicted, a stunting charge carries an automatic fine of nearly $2,500.

Newcombville Resident Being Awarded Queens Medal

A local cancer survivor is being rewarded for his work with prostate cancer awareness and Lunenburg County veterans. Dan Hennessey is receiving a Queens Diamond Jubilee medal this weekend. He says he's excited about receiving the honour.



Hennessey helped work on a video involving World War II veterans on the South Shore and has written a book and directed a video promoting the need for men to get checked for prostate cancer. He is expected to accept the medal during a presentation at the Bridgewater Days Inn on Saturday.

Bridgewater: Change In Council And Mayor

Bridgewater residents have voted for change around the council table. Five of the six people elected will be new to the position including Sandra Mailman, Jennifer MacDonald, Wayne Thorburne, Andrew Tanner and Michael Graves. Bill McInnis is the lone incumbent at the council level. Meanwhile, David Walker defeated Gary MacNeil by only 122 votes to claim the mayor's seat. Walker says the people have spoken.



The newly-minted mayor and council will be sworn-in during a ceremony November 5 at Bridgewater town hall.

Town Of Lunenburg: Bailey Defeats Stockton For Mayor

The town of Lunenburg has spoken and elected its first ever woman as mayor. Rachel Bailey won in convincing fashion defeating Ron Stockton by a count of 854 votes to 285. Bailey has spent the last four years as a councillor and deputy mayor in the town. She says she expects some challenges when she takes office.



Bailey says she expects the new council to be proactive in making changes that make sense for the historic community. She will be sworn-in as the new mayor, along with the council during a meeting in November.

New School Board To Be Sworn-In November 14

The former board chair is the lone incumbent to return to the South Shore Regional School Board. Elliott Payzant was re-elected in District 1 to serve the Region of Queens over four other candidates. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Crossland was voted to the board in District 2 along with Cheryl Fougere in District 3, serving the town of Bridgewater. Rounding out the newly-elected board includes Jennifer Naugler in District 4, Elmer Garber in District 5, and Theresa Griffin serving Chester in District 6. The members will be sworn into their new roles during the School Board's meeting November 14.

Beaulieu Out In Clark's Harbour

David Beaulieu is out as a councillor in Clark's Harbour. He finished 25 votes behind Rex Stoddard for the final seat on council. Meanwhile, status quo for mayor as Leigh B. Stoddard was acclaimed. The elected councillors have their name bolded below.

Mayor

Leigh B. Stoddard (acclaimed)


Council

Russell W. Atkinson - 202 

*Sherry Atkinson - 212 

Vaughn R. Atwood - 60

Irene Baker - 332 

*David Beaulieu - 171

Bridget Brannen - 167

*Cecil W. Brannen - 204 

Carter Mitchell Nickerson - 143

Trudy Perry Quinlan - 236 *

*Rex Stoddard - 196

South Shore: Sweeping Changes After 2012 Election

There are some sweeping changes to report from the South Shore after last night's municipal election. Rachel Bailey was elected mayor in Lunenburg after defeating Ron Stockton in convincing fashion.  She will serve as the first female mayor in the historic town following an impressive run by Laurence Mawhinney spanning 33 years. Mawhinney announced his retirement from municipal politics in the summer. Meanwhile, in the most heated race on and off the campaign trail, Don Downe was elected to a second term as mayor for the Municipality of Lunenburg. Downe defeated his opponent Kirk Meisner in landslide fashion by a margin of over 4,000 votes. In Bridgewater, veteran politician David Walker will be sworn in as Bridgewater's new mayor after a hard fought race against challenger Gary McNeil. In Queens, Christopher Clarke will return to the mayor's chair after a 12 year absence from municipal politics. Clarke will take over from outgoing mayor John Leefe. Residents in Shelburne elected Karen Mattatall to serve as their new mayor for the town. Mattatall defeated incumbent Al Delaney for the top job in Shelburne. In Chester, Allen Webber was re-elected in District 4 serving Chester Basin. He will join newcomers Andre Veinotte and Tina Connors on the new council combined with three other incumbents. Brad Armstrong also retained his seat representing residents of the Village of Chester. The new Chester council will select their warden during the next council meeting.

Fresh Start For School Board

The South Shore Regional School Board will only have one incumbent when the members swear-in next month. Elliott Payzant, the board's former chair, was elected by voters in the Region of Queens. Voters chose to select five new people to represent students in the local area. Winners in each district are bolded and in italics.


Electoral District 1 - The entire Region of Queens Municipality (including the Maitland Bridge area of the County of Annapolis in polling District 8.)

Allan Foster 
Clifford 'Butch' MacLeod 
Karen Ohrt 
Elliott Payzant 
Courtney Wentzell 

Electoral District 2 - Municipality of the District of Lunenburg Polling Districts 5, 6, 7,and 9.

Wallace Rex Cross
Elizabeth Crossland
Bob Mertens
Dan Thimot

Electoral District 3 - Town of Bridgewater

Cheryl Fougere
Jerome Tanner

Electoral District 4 - Municipality of the District of Lunenburg Polling Districts 2, 8, 10, 11, and 12.

Fred Daugherty
Brian Eisener
Jennifer Naugler
Karen Reinhardt

Electoral District 5 - Municipality of the District of Lunenburg Polling Districts 1, 3, 4 along with the Town of Mahone Bay and Town of Lunenburg.

Rick Carey
Elmer Garber

Electoral District 6 - All polling districts in the Municipality of the District of Chester.

Theresa Griffin
Warren Laws
Maxwell Rafuse

African Nova Scotian Member of the South Shore Regional School Board - Vernon Simms (acclaimed)

Downe Elected To Second Term In MODL

It was a convincing victory for Don Downe in the municipal election on Saturday night. Downe defeated his opponent, Kirk Meisner in a landslide fashion and will return for a second term as mayor in the Municipality of Lunenburg. The results are listed below for all district seats with several new faces set to appear on the new council including Errol Knickle, Michael Ernst, Claudette Garland, Terry Dory and Carolyn Bolivar-Getson.






Mayor: Total Votes

Don Downe - 5646

Kirk Meisner - 1575


District 1:

Nancy Allen-Rogers - 290

Errol Knickle - 420

Basil Oickle - 196



District 2: 

*Don Zwicker (acclaimed)



District 3: 

*Frank J. Fawson (acclaimed)



District 4:

Michael S. Ernst - 296 

Nancy Wentzell - 260



District 5:

Claudette E. Garland - 388 

Larry Power -188



District 6: 

Wade S. Carver - 281

Terry Dorey - 322

Dave Moore - 129


District 7: 

Cathy Moore - 704

Ron S. Seney - 79


District 8:

Dexter Halliday - 26

Dan Hennessey - 165

John Veinot - 466


District 9:

Carolyn Bolivar-Getson - 298

John Harley -189

Gary Mailman -125


District 10:

*Lee E. Nauss (acclaimed)


District 11: 

*Martin E. Bell (acclaimed)


District 12:  

*Eric Hustvedt (acclaimed)

Residents Vote For Change In Bridgewater

The town of Bridgewater is getting a new look around its council table. Incumbents Patrick Hirtle, Greg Ritcey and Jim Bell will not be around the table for the next four years. Instead, new blood will fill their seats as five of the six positions will be filled with first-time representatives. The mayor's race was also highly contested, but in the end David Walker pulled out the win over Gary MacNeil. Election results are listed below, with those names bolded indicating the elected officials.

Mayor

Gary MacNeil - 1316

David Walker - 1438


Council 

Jim Bell - 961

Beverlee Brown - 876

Michael Graves - 1407

Patrick Hirtle - 1175

Sandra Mailman - 1668

Kevin Marlin - 1075

Jennifer McDonald - 1211

Bill McInnis - 1306

Greg Ritcy - 745

Andrew Tanner - 1480

Wayne Thorburne - 1291

Dennis Woodworth - 918

Clarke Returns To Mayor's Chair In Queens

Christopher Clarke will return to the mayor's chair after 12 years away from municipal politics in the Region of Queens. Clarke defeated three other formidable opponents in Saturday's election. Here are the results from Queens County.









Mayor: Total Votes

Chris Clarke - 1961*

David Dagley - 1414

Owen Hamlin - 384

Mervin Hartlen - 382


Council: Total Votes

District 1 

Darlene Norman - 407*

Brittany Wentzell-Verge - 162


District 2: 

Bruce Inglis - 306*

Heather Kelly - 217

Gene "Gino" Wong - 40


District 3: 

Brian G. Fralic - 312*

Roger Jollimore - 215

Stacy Smart-Chandler - 38

Joel Zwicker - 190


District 4:

Bev Davison - 248

Gary Levy - 149

Susan MacLeod - 257*

John Townsend - 56

District 5:

Jack Fancy - 235*

William "Billy" Joudrey - 45

Linda Rafuse - 177

Wayne M. Wentzell - 121


District 6:

John F. Croft - 180

Dwight Crouse - 84

Raymond Fiske - 336*

Doug White - 65


District 7:

*Peter Waterman (acclamation)

Tight Races Within Municipality of Shelburne

There were a few tight races within the Municipality of Shelburne in Saturday's election. Doris Townsend, Ardith Van Buskirk, Norman Wallet, Cathy Holmes, John Roscoe, David Levy and Roger Taylor were all elected. The municipality will choose its warden via secret ballot at its next council meeting.












Council

District 1: 

Doris Townsend   ****Winner***     96

Robert (Bob) MacLean            67




District 2:

Ardith Van Buskirk  ****Winner*** 165

Carol Mahaney                     96




District 3:

*Norman Wallet (acclaimed)




District 4:

Cathy Holmes ***Winner** 133

Joan Bower   99




District 5:

*John Roscoe (acclaimed)



District 6:

David Levy   **** Winner ***** 112

Benjamin (Benny) Acker   83

District 7:

*Roger Taylor (acclaimed)

Two Incumbents Ousted In Mahone Bay

A pair of familiar faces around the Mahone Bay council table have been ousted from their seat. Election results in the town indicate Virginia Uhlman and Lila O'Connor are on the outside looking in. Results are listed below with those bolded elected to council.

Mayor  

*Joe Feeney (Acclaimed-No Race)

Council

John Bain - 275

Penny Carver - 279

David Devenne - 305

Lynn Hennigar - 290

Karl Nauss - 249

Lila O'Connor - 210

Virginia Uhlman - 233

Kelly Wilson - 269

Two Incumbents Knocked Down In Chester

There will be two fresh faces at the council table in Chester. Andre Veinotte and Tina Connors both defeated incumbents in Saturday's municipal election. Meanwhile, veteran warden Allen Webber retained his seat in a hard fought election victory against newcomer Stephen Bond. The unofficial results are listed below.







District 1:

*Marshal A. Hector - 253
Andre Veinotte - 478

District 2:

*Floyd P. Shatford (acclaimed)

District 3:

Brad Armstrong - 486
Ben Wiper - 108

District 4:

Stephen Bond - 297
Allen Webber - 357

District 5:

*Robert (Bob) Myra (acclaimed)

District 6:

Phillip Broome - 132
Tina Connors - 470
Cheryl Scott - 150

District 7

*Sharon Church-Cornelius

*Elected in Bold

Town Of Lunenburg Election Results

Residents in the town of Lunenburg have elected Rachel Bailey to replace Laurence Mawhinney as their new mayor. Voters also chose to re-elect three incumbents and three new faces to the council table. Election results are listed below.



Mayor

Rachel Bailey  -  854 votes

Ron Stockton  -   285 votes

Meanwhile, six people were elected to town councillor. Those elected are in bold below.  

Thom Barclay - 568

*Danny Croft - 684

Tyler Hayden - 534

*John McGee - 701

Peter Mosher - 533

*Jamie Myra - 494

Cindy Sangster - 485

Robert Young - 329 

*Peter Zwicker - 765


     

New Mayor Elected In Shelburne

Residents of Shelburne have elected Karen Mattatall as their new mayor. She defeated incumbent Al Delaney in the town's municipal election on Saturday. Join her on council - Roy O'Donnell, Rick Davis, Elizabeth Rhuland and Tony Mahaney.






Mayor Total Polls  5-5

Karen Mattatall -365

Al Delaney -245

Robert Sinden -183

P.G. Comeau -130



Council - Total Polls 5-5

Roy O'Donnell -682

Rick Davis -525


Elizabeth Rhuland -500

Tony Mahaney -433

Joshua Brown -404

Bob Strang -254

Frank Slate -179

*Elected in Bold