Prince Edward Island communities hope more candidates will run for November 7 election

PEI Municipal Elections are less than two weeks away, but some communities still don’t have enough names to put on the ballot.

Toad will have at least one new mayor after former mayor Neila Auld and several councilors resigned more than a year ago, leaving one administrator in charge.

Auld is not a candidate, but there are two mayoral candidates. The community still needs one more person to run for council, but Crapaud trustee Roy Main said it’s good to see nominations coming in.

« I think they want their community back, » Main said. « They don’t want an official administrator and I think that’s a valuable lesson that has hopefully been learned. »

Crapaud is just one of many small communities on PEI. who did not have enough candidates for mayor or council.

The province has extended the nomination deadline for 27 communities, hoping that more time means more people will come forward. He also increased advertising to encourage people to run and give back to their communities.

The work can be rewarding, Auld said, as councils play an important role in getting projects started, including housing, recreation, water and sewage.

The job has also changed over the years, Main said.

« There was a time when government was pretty simple. It’s not simple anymore. The demands, the requirements, the reporting relationships are much more complex, complicated, » Main said.

“Most communities have a full-time employee who you ask to be the clerk, administrator, finance – you put so many roles on the back of what often turns out to be a part-time position. «

Auld said councilors and mayors are expected to earn more than current salaries, which are around a few thousand dollars a year.

The province did not announce any wage increases, but said it was optimistic more people would come forward in time for Friday’s deadline.

Municipal elections will be held on November 7.