By-elections fill seats in Brigus and Clarke’s Beach

By Olivia Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

New councillors have been elected to fill empty chairs on the Brigus and Clarke’s Beach town councils.

Both towns held by-elections on April 14.

Gerald Mercer was the successful Brigus candidate with 115 votes. His opponents, John Brown and Allan LeGrow, received 62 and 24 votes, respectively.

In Clarke’s Beach, Keegan Healey won the by-election with 100 votes. His competitors, Dion Hynes and Jamie Morgan, received 35 and 32 votes each, respectively.

Mercer, 68, has lived in Brigus since he was a child. His brother, Shears Mercer Jr., is the mayor. Semi-retired, Gerald is a seasonal worker with FFAW. He has been a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for over three decades, currently serving as district commander. He served on council six years ago, stepping away after his first term to focus on Cadets, with which he was involved for many years. He has since retired from the Cadet program and said he decided to throw his hat back in the ring with the by-election.

Mercer said his decision to run was partly motivated by being dissatisfied with some of the things he was seeing, such as what he described as obstruction of the waterfront.

“We used to have a beautiful waterfront down there,” said Mercer. “Now we’ve got some great big buildings on the waterfront that, to me, don’t suit the style of the old Brigus that was years ago.”

Mercer said he is bringing experience to council.

“Being in several different organizations, I know how to organize things,” he said. “I know how to go after different money from different departments.”

Mercer expressed gratitude to the people of the town for electing him.

Nineteen-year-old Keegan Healey is a business student at College of the North Atlantic and a Tim Horton’s employee.

Healey said he was passionate about joining the workforce from a young age and got a job as soon as he was able. He became interested in politics during the pandemic. He volunteered during the last provincial election and frequently attends Question Period at the House of Assembly.  Healey said he is bringing a strong work ethic to the table as a member of council. One of the main issues he would like to prioritize is speeding, a concern that was raised by many residents as he campaigned.

“It feels fantastic,” Healey said of the win. “I’m so grateful that the people of Clarke’s Beach chose me to be their next town councillor. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Healey said he looks forward to working with the other councillors to try to make Clarke’s Beach the best town in the area.

“I’m really glad that my hard work paid off,” he said. “I got out and I think I knocked on just about every single door in Clarke’s Beach.”

Healey said he listened to the compliments and concerns of residents and is happy those efforts culminated in success. He commended his fellow candidates, Hynes and Morgan, for their contributions to the community as well.