Sturgeon County councillors started putting the first pieces of the puzzle together for the municipal election this fall.
Council appointed a returning officer and set polling locations on Feb. 23 for the Oct. 18 vote after a brief debate over who should run the elections.
The recommendation from county administration was to appoint a staff member, Susan Berry, the current manager of administration, who supervised both the 2007 general vote and last year’s byelection in Division Two.
County Mayor Don Rigney said he was concerned about the optics of having administration run the election.
“I think is it fundamental to our democracy that the returning officer be someone from outside council and administration.”
Traditionally, someone who isn’t regularly employed with the county has acted as returning officer on a short-term contract.
Rigney said that, while Berry had done an excellent job, he wanted someone outside administration to run the process. He argued if there were a problem with the election, Berry would be in the awkward spot of having to deal with council long after the vote had closed.
Other councillors saw Rigney’s point, but felt having someone inexperienced running the election was a greater danger.
“An election has to be done right and otherwise you just look foolish,” said Coun. Karen Shaw. “If the election is not run properly the county is going to be blamed.”
Coun. Joe Milligan said the election demands a certain amount of familiarity with the community.
“I think you need an experienced person in there to make the right decisions.”
The motion to approve Berry passed six to one with only Rigney in opposition.
Council also approved recommended polling stations for the next election, which include a handful of changes from previous years.
The Gibbons Legion will not be a polling place for Division One because of low use, for the same reason Sturgeon County Centre won’t be used for Division Two. Most county residents use Cardiff Community Hall instead.
The polling station at the Edmonton Garrison will move from Guthrie School to the Military Family Resource Centre.
Administration recommended removing Sturgeon Heights School from Division Three, but council disagreed. Coun. Ken McGillis, the representative for the division, said even though it is technically outside the municipality, people in the area see it as part of the community.
Sturgeon County has six councillors, each representing a specific area of the county and one mayor elected at large by the entire municipality. Nomination day for the race is Sept. 20 and potential candidates need five eligible signatures on their nomination papers. They also must be 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen and must have resided in the community for at least six months prior to the election.
