Grand Manan Candidate: Susan Ballantyne
1. As candidates, what would be your key priorities over the next four years in your community?
Affordable housing, affordable housing, affordable housing, and a new municipal pool.
2. How would you achieve those priorities within your mandate?
Working with the rest of council, we will continue with the housing projects that are already under discussion. The pool has been waiting for attention while other huge projects were undertaken. It’s now time to look at the pool. I enjoy grant writing, and I will continue to apply for grants that support these projects.
3. How will you ensure transparency and accountability in council decisions and communication with residents?
We do try to be transparent and accountable. Our council meetings are open to the public, and videoed. All of the current counsellors are very approachable and I hope this will continue to be true with the new counsellors that join us. We are working on keeping our Village website more up-to-date.
4. What is your approach to managing growth and development while preserving the character of the community?
Thoughtfully and carefully.
5. What is your position on property taxes, and how would you balance affordability with maintaining services?
Our taxes are among the lowest in the province and we are proud of this.
6. Why are you the best candidate to represent your ward, and what experience do you bring to the role?
I have been a village councillor for the last term. I have learned a lot, and I hope to learn more. I try very hard to listen and think before I respond.
Each candidate was provided with the same six questions and equal limits on response length and time. Candidates who did not have publicly available contact information through Elections New Brunswick were required to contact The Courier in accordance with its Municipal Election Coverage Fairness Policy. Candidates who did not respond or declined to participate are noted. Failure to participate will not result in additional coverage elsewhere in the newspaper.
