Allan MacEachern wants to keep being the mayor of St. Stephen.
He has re-offered for the upcoming municipal elections in May.
MacEachern said he wanted to get involved in his community nine years ago and being a councillor wasn’t even on his radar.
He was convinced to run and was blown away by the support he received.
“It’s a good feeling walking or driving into your community and seeing all the changes you were a part of. That’s the rewarding part,” MacEachern said.
As for the low turnout for people wanting to pursue municipal politics, he said it’s a tough job.
“I’ve been lucky. I haven’t had too many heated things. Most people are quite happy with what’s going on. When they are not, it is not fun to be part of that. Although you may be able to take it yourself and I’m talking Facebook posts or things of that nature. Your family take its differently. When your dad or husband it getting beat up online. They take it a whole different way. It really bothers them. I think there are a lot there a lot of good leaders out there who wouldn’t want to be part of that,” MacEachern said.
His favourite role is being part of the board for Future St. Stephen and “planting the seeds of development.”
MacEachern said it’s been a tough period due to the pandemic, noting how strange it is to have the Canada/U.S. border closed for more than a year.
“It’s not real. How is it even possible that bridge is closed?” he said.
MacEachern said border towns like St. Stephen and Calais, Maine, rely on traffic between borders to sustain businesses.
He said increasing development and adding more housing are priorities for him.
