Old Carbonear council passes reins to the new

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It was a double meeting of sorts, with the outgoing members of the old Carbonear council holding their last formal session before handing over the reins to the new council, whose members were sworn in to office right away.

The first to take the oath was new mayor, Sam Slade, who had served as deputy mayor on the previous council.

Slade ran unopposed for mayor in this month’s municipal election, reclaiming the position he held from 2005 to 2013 before venturing into provincial politics for a term.

Next up was Fred Earle, who received the most votes in the municipal election with a total of 1,034. Earle was a member of the Carbonear Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, his last two as chief. He served a term on council in the past, later running for mayor, losing by a narrow margin. He decided to run again in the 2025 election since he was no longer working offshore. Later in the meeting, Earle was acclaimed as deputy mayor by his fellow councillors.

After Earle came Malcolm Seymour, who also came right behind Earle in the election in terms of the vote count. Originally from Shearstown, Seymour previously worked in healthcare. This is his second consecutive term on council. In an interview during the campaign, he said he wants to make Carbonear a place where people want to settle. He also wants to prioritize the needs of senior citizens to ensure they know they are not forgotten.

Stephen Penney was next to be sworn in. This year’s election was his first time running for council. He is a senior manager with Green Infrastructure Partners, formerly known as Pennecon. During the campaign, Penney expressed hope that he would get a chance to use his skills and experience in management to make a difference to the town and its council.

Next came Wendy Penney. This was her first time running for council. She is the campus administrator at Keyin College in Carbonear, and the college’s faculty support manager for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. She has volunteered as a member of Carbonear’s special events committee for about 15 years.
The next councillor to be sworn in was Amanda Dowden. She served on council from 2017-2021. Dowden works with the Department of Transportation and is on the executive of the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

The final councillor to be sworn in was Peter Snow. Like Seymour, this is his second consecutive term. Originally from Harbour Grace, Snow is an educator and has taught Adult Basic English at the Discovery Centre for 32 years.