Carew touts record of doing his homework for Paradise re-election bid

By Mark Squibb

Paradise councillor Glen ‘Bic’ Carew is putting his name forward for re-election in the 2025 general election this October.
“I was never a political type,” said Carew. “I put my hand up because, like everyone else, I thought things could be a little bit better. I guess I’m the type of person, I won’t complain about it unless I put my hand up to do something about it.”
Carew was elected in the 2021 election, his first bid for public office. He admits it took longer to learn the ropes than he anticipated.
“It has taken a considerable amount of time, and I assume this is normal for newly elected officials, to acclimate in terms of understanding the flow of information, the players, in terms of staff, and how things actually work,” he said. “It took a lot longer than I thought to really get comfortable in council.”
Carew said council has undertaken a number of projects and initiatives that will likely see some traction within the next year, such as the construction of a local high school and additional connections to Topsail Road, both in partnership with the provincial government, and he wants to see those projects through to the end.
“I’ve learned that it takes a long time to get anything done,” said Carew. “And a lot of that has a lot to do with getting funding from the provincial and federal governments. And of course, there’s all kinds of reports and studies and surveys and engagement pieces. It takes a long time to put things together, and I hadn’t anticipated that certain items would take so long. It’s not from any dereliction of duty, it’s just how these processes work. I’m not a bureaucrat so I wasn’t overly familiar with all that.”
Carew moved to Paradise with his family in 1987. He experienced growing up without town water and sewer services and getting bused to Mount Pearl for high school — conditions some residents are still living with.
“I’m certainly not afraid to speak my mind,” said Carew. “I’m not afraid to vote ‘No’ on certain things.”
The councillor also shared some free advice for first timers like himself considering a run.
“You need to be informed about things that are going on within the community, both positive and those that are items that are somewhat contentious,” said Carew. “You need to be informed on the issues, and I would say you need to be prepared to be present and partake in the structure in the council meetings. I put a lot of time into being prepared for council meetings, whether it be reading the council agendas and packages or reading emails to the directors, or talking to residents about issues.”
He recommended that anyone considering running for council go back and watch a few committee meetings to “see how thesausage is made.”
For his own self, he hopes that his first term speaks for itself.
“Anyone paying attention to public council meetings or committee of the whole meetings, or reading The Shoreline, will see that I bring a little bit of a different personality to the council chambers,” said Carew. “And I think my track record and how outspoken I’ve been about issues that are important to residents are clearly defined.”