Smart new mayor, taking helm on island

Stephen Smart, who guided the Campobello Island community for two years as chair of its transformative island governance committee, is now Campobello's mayor. Smart was named mayor by acclamation on November 15 after running unopposed in the island‑wide election for the historic, first community council positions.
Four more councillors were elected, three of them representing wards and one at‑large, to form the island's first council for its new rural community status. There was a 57% voter turnout. Of the island's 649 voters, 371 cast ballots.
"That's quite strong, and it's very encouraging that way," Smart said as he looks toward Monday, November 29. That's the date for the council's swearing-in ceremony and first meeting, also of a ceremonial nature. Council meetings will take place at the Campobello Island Consolidated School.
The precise makeup of the council will not be finalized until a recount for one of the councillor positions takes place, according to Elections New Brunswick. Janice Watters is the apparent winner of the Ward 3 (Welshpool) race, 77 to 74 over Bradley Mitchell, but a recount is in order. That has been delayed by a death in Watters' family.
The races for the two other ward positions were straightforward. In Ward 1 (Head Harbour), Kevin Sawtelle (79 votes) beat Brittany Lank (44) and Austin Estabrooks (3). In Ward 2 (Wilson's Beach), Terrance Preston was the only one to file nomination papers, so he also gained his position by acclamation.
In the race for the council's at‑large position, Carson Savage topped Arthur Quinn, 253 to 106. Councillors will serve 18‑month terms, initially.
As its first work, the new council is expected to set a schedule for monthly meetings, as well as announce its selection for the community's clerk‑treasurer position. There were three applicants for the job, and whoever becomes the clerk‑treasurer will work from home. The new councillors have yet to pick that person.
"The clerk‑treasurer will run the office from home to save us some money," Smart says. "We are trying to do as much good for the island for as little money as we can just now. There will be a tax hike [with the new government], but people were warned about that."
Smart's intentions, as mayor, haven't wavered since the community started on the path of moving away from being unincorporated. "The issues are ongoing here," Smart says. "We're just trying to get a fair shake [in the province], trying to promote both senior and youth issues, improve the basic standard of living. It's a real simple thing. We are not going to change the world, because we can't.
"But we would appreciate some paving here, and we'd love to create jobs, and the bridge needs some work. At least we will have a voice [in New Brunswick] now."
Campobello's path toward more self‑governance started about three years ago, when a health and wellness survey highlighted several issues, including a decline in population and high unemployment. The island community voted earlier this year to shift to a rural community form of governance. Campobello became incorporated on November 1. As a rural community, Campobello now will provide administrative, community planning and emergency measures services.
Campobello's new mayor is 34 years old. He and his wife Tasha have lived for 10 years in Welshpool. They have two children, ages four and one. A lifelong resident of Campobello, Smart graduated from high school in 1994. He spent four years at university in Fredericton, where he met Tasha and convinced her to come live the island life with him.
"Campobello has always been home, and we're on a real drive to keep it that way for the next generation," Smart says. "We want this as a community where people can make a living and have pride in their future. We want our kids to live here, if they want to."