Regier wins mayoral race in McLennan

Kevin Laliberte
Smoky River Express

The Town of McLennan officially has a new mayor. Don Regier, who challenged incumbent Michele Fournier for the position of mayor, proved to be the favourable candidate of choice in the Oct. 15th municipal election after a landslide victory which saw him scoop up 246 of 282 eligible ballots. Two mayoral ballots were spoiled in the race which saw Fournier secure 36 votes. “I was expecting to win based on the level of support I received leading up to the election,” says Regier, who was informed of his victory at around 9 p.m. on the night of the election. The incoming mayor made a point of thanking Fournier for her service as mayor over the past term and her commitment on town council over the past 12 years. “I have the utmost level of respect and admiration for Michele for her positive contributions on town council over the past number of years.” Fournier, who was contacted by the Express the day after the election, says she was surprised by the large voting gap in the race for the position of mayor. “It was somewhat disappointing for me. I really thought the overall results would have been much closer,” says Fournier, who describes her time on town council as an extremely rewarding experience. She thanks everyone for their support during the past 12 years on town council and offered congratulations to Regier, McNeil and the returning town councillor incumbents. “I wish them all the very best heading into their upcoming term on council.” Fournier, who is undecided about running for town council in 2010, says her immediate plans are to take some time to unwind and relax while remaining involved on the McLennan Local Recreation Board. “I’m not the type of person to sit still for too long.” Regier, meanwhile, says he’s anxious to roll up his sleeves and start working collectively with town council, which consists of incumbents Gary Braithwaite, Robert Bisson, Eckhard Christen, Catherine Dunne, Dwayne Stout, and newcomer Lawrence McNeil. One of his first orders of business as McLennan’s new mayor will focus on the development of effective long-term planning strategies towards sustainable growth within the community. “I feel that it’s imperative for this town council to have a clearly defined set of goals in place which address the needs of the community over the course of the next three to five years,” he adds. One of those goals, he points out, relates directly to addressing the inflated tax rate in McLennan. “It appears as though taxes are out of control in town and we need to get a handle on that,” Regier explains. McLennan’s mayor is also committed to optimizing the use of government grant funds whenever possible to help meet the needs within the community. He would like to see the formation of a municipal committee to address those grant funding opportunities in addition to a personnel committee (consisting of town staff) to get an accurate gauge of community-related needs. Above all, Regier stresses the importance of open lines of communication between town council and the general public as an effective means of keeping residents well informed. “We need to be accountable to our taxpayers by being prepared to respond to their questions and concerns,” he says. Regier, who presently holds the position of president on the McLennan Local Recreation Board, says he is stepping down and handing over the reins to vice-president Francis Lessard for the interim.