Take the leap : campaign encourages candidates to step up for May municipal elections

cbc.ca · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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New BrunswickA campaign of ads and information sessions aims to inspire New Brunswickers to run for municipal office in elections is slated for May 11. The call comes during a time of challenges for municipal politicians. Online harassment, expanding mandate remain challenges for local politiciansErica Butler · CBC News · Posted: Mar 02, 2026 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick president Brittany Merrifield addresses the crowd at the launch of the "Ready, set, run for council!" campaign in Moncton city hall. (Radio-Canada)The province’s municipal associations are banding together to launch a campaign to entice more residents to run for local office. Municipal elections across the province are slated to happen on May 11, with nominations for 599 council and mayoral seats open from March 23 to April 10. Serge Arsenault is hoping to see plenty of people “take the leap.” The Grand-Bouctouche CAO is also vice-president of the Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick, one of three groups launching the campaign under the slogan, “Ready, set, run for council!” “We want people that want to be involved,” said Arsenault, “to see a positive change in their municipalities.”But there are challenges.‘Everybody deserves respect’Outgoing Shediac Mayor Roger Caissie has decided not to re-offer this May. Balancing a full-time job and the demands of leading a municipality have become “harder and harder,” said Caissie, “especially since municipal reform,” which saw the municipality of Shediac expand to add new residents and territory. Outgoing Shediac Mayor Roger Caissie said balancing his job and politics has become "harder and harder." (Erica Butler/CBC)And the continuing influence of online harassment also poses a challenge, said Caissie.“It's not encouraging people to run, it's not encouraging people to get involved," he said.“People have the idea, well, you need to take the criticism. And if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.“Absolute bull,” he said, bluntly. “Everybody deserves respect, the persons who are sitting in the chairs of council, as well as the public.”Don’t let ‘bad actors’ win, says mayorBrittany Merrifield, the mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield and president of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, has a message for anyone hesitating to put their name forward in municipal politics out of fear of harassment.“I urge you,” said Merrifield, “do not let this very small group of bad actors win.”WATCH | Who can run in local elections — and who can’t:Want to enter local politics? Here’s what you need to know5 hours ago|Duration 3:31New Brunswick’s local government elections are taking place this spring.Merrifield touted the important role of local government, saying it is “where the rubber meets the road” for communities. But she also called out a trend of expanding roles beyond traditional municipal responsibilities, which focus on parks and recreation, roads, water and sewer. “Increasingly local governments are being pulled into areas outside our mandates, such as immigration, homelessness and access to affordable housing,” said Merrifield. “So there's been a lot more work that has developed over the last number of years.” ‘Not all thrilling stuff’Caissie said candidates should understand that being on a municipal council is “not all thrilling stuff,” and that being a member of a council means being “open to different points of view.”“If you have the heart in the right place for your entire community,” said Caissie, “that's reason to run.”Moncton deputy mayor Paulette Thériault, who has also decided not to reoffer in the May election, offered her advice for those considering running for local councils.Moncton deputy mayor Paulette Thériault will not run again in this year's municipal election. She said candidates need passion and patience to be successful on councils. (Erica Butler/CBC)“You need to have a lot of passion for the city, but you also need to have a lot of patience," she said.Because local councils exist outside of the party system, said Theriault, council members find themselves needing to listen to many perspectives. With 11 seats on Moncton city council, she said, “there's 11 different ideas, 11 different opinions.” ‘No support system’The party system in provincial and federal politics also provides recruitment and support systems for new candidates. But, at the municipal level, “there's no support system,” said Merrified. That’s where the “Ready, set, run for council!” campaign comes in. “We're hoping to offer that kind of support,” she said.The campaign includes a new guidebook and information sessions to explain the role of municipal councils and demystify what’s involved in local government. Sessions will give a day-in-the-life snapshot of council members and also offer best practices on how to navigate social media and communicate with the public.Elections N.B. will also take part to explain some of the technical requirements behind getting on the ballot.The guide is available online, and sessions in French and English are slated for March 24 and 26, also online. The campaign is funded by the Department of Environment and Local Government, but a spokesperson for organizers refused to share the cost of the campaign.Motivated to build communityMerrifield acknowledged that serving on a local council is “not an easy job.”“But it's incredibly rewarding,” she countered. She said her motivation starts with her own kids and wanting to build a community where they would want to settle as adults, perhaps starting businesses and raising families. “That's one of the reasons we need good people around those council tables,” said Merrifield, “to help move those communities forward.”ABOUT THE AUTHORErica Butler is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick. She lives in Sackville and works out of the Moncton newsroom. You can send story tips to erica.butler@cbc.ca.