Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Rick Doucet Takes The Seat For Liberal In Charlotte The Isles Riding

It came down to 890 Votes between the top two candidates in last night Election. Liberal Rick Doucet takes with 3176 votes followed by PC Sharon Tucker 2286 votes.

Premier Shawn Graham is back in the legislature but he'll be losing a lot of Liberal company as his party moves into the opposition.

Several of his cabinet ministers lost their seats.

The Liberals are elected in eight and leading in seven ridings -- less than half of the 31 seats they held going into today's vote.

Malloch Takes Top Spots In Charlotte Campobello

 The Conservatives have doubled their seats in the legislature in a landslide election victory over the Liberals.

PC Curtis Mallach took the top spot last night with 2980 votes beating out Liberal Annabelle Juneau by1464 votes.

The Tories under David Alward were victorious in 42 ridings while Shawn Graham's Liberals took the remaining 13.

Alward admits the result was both an acceptance of his party and a verdict on the last four years of Liberal rule.

Graham says he expects to step down as party leader, but he'll remain as the member for his riding for the time being.

MLA-Elect Margaret Ann Blaney

The riding of Rothesay has re-elected Conservative Margaret Ann Blaney for a fourth consecutive term.

Blaney defeated Liberal Victoria Clarke and says one of the issues she kept hearing at the door is rising property taxes.

Blaney says there are some good models out there the party will look at and bring the issue of property taxes it into the 21st century.

Saint John Fundy Has A New Face

The Conservative banner is flying again in Saint John Fundy.

Glen Savoie beat Liberal Gary Keating to re-claim the seat which hasn't been blue since Saint John MP Rodney Weston held it.

Savoie says as a new-comer to the political scene, he is expecting a lot of hard work.

Savoie says while going door to door, he was hearing a lot of discontent and people that wanted their voices heard.

Saint John Harbour MLA-Elect Carl Killen

For the time being, Conservative Carl Killen is the MLA-Elect for Saint John Harbour, beating Liberal Ed Doherty by nine votes.

The margin of victory means there is an automatic re-count. Killen says his exposure to municipal politics is one of the reasons for his decision to make the leap provincially realizing you do have very little power to change policy at the municipal level.

Killen says Saint John Harbour is the most interesting, challenging riding in the Province with great candidates and a wide demographic. No word yet from Elections NB as to the process for the re-count.

Longtime M-L-A Easily Re-Elected In Hampton-Kings

Longtime M-L-A Bev Harrison, described by some as an icon, was the first Conservative elected in last night's election.

Harrison says this is his biggest win in the riding of Hampton-Kings in six or seven elections.

Harrison adds he thinks David Alward will make an excellent premier because he has a style that is consultative.

Saint John East Conservative M-L-A Elect Glen Tait

A former fire chief and Common Councillor is now a newly elected Conservative M-L-A.
Glen Tait won the seat last night formerly held by Liberal Roly McIntrye.

He says it will be new for him setting provincial policy.

Tait says going door to door he kept hearing of the desire for change with anger being voiced about Shawn Graham.

Tait decided to run provincially after coming to the conclusion city councillors really don't have all that much clout when it's all said and done.

Saint John Portland Conservative M-L-A Elect Trevor Holder

The MLA for Saint John Portland is returning to the Legislature but this time he will be on the government side.
Trevor Holder defeating Liberal Dan Joyce to keep the riding for the Conservatives.

Holder says he is looking forward to being on the government side again having served as a cabinet minister under then Premier Bernard Lord.

Holder goes on to say he feels good because he thinks the win is about building a better community and being on the government side is a better place to accomplish that.

He believes voters want a government that is focused on health care, poverty reduction, education and the provincial debt.

Saint John Lancaster Conservative M-L-A Elect Dorothy Shepherd

A West side business owner is responsible for another of the city's biggest upsets.

Dorothy Shepherd beat longtime Liberal M-L-A Abel Leblanc, who had won two consecutive terms, to win Saint John Lancaster for the conservatives.

Shepherd says it's an exciting victory. Shepherd is thrilled with a conservative majority saying she found a lot of voters were undecided at the door with the big concern being property assessments.

One of her priorities is to increase use of the Lorneville Industrial Park.

Renowned Heart Surgeon Defeats Liberal Cabinet Minister In Fundy-River Valley

In one of the biggest upsets of the campaign, A Conservative doctor has defeated an incumbant Liberal cabinet minister.
Dr. Jim Parrott defeated former Energy minister Jack Keir in Fundy- River Valley by a sizeable margin.

Dr. Parrott, a renowned heart surgeon says the support was incredible especially since he was out of commission with a foot injury and couldn't really campaign door to door.

The new M-L-A will recuperating at home for 3-4 weeks after a foot injury.

Saint John Fundy Goes Conservative With Newcomer Defeating High School Principal

For the first time since M-P Rodney Weston held the riding, Saint John Fundy is flying the Conservative banner again.

Glen Savoie beat Liberal Gary Keating, the principal at Simonds High, and tells says while going door to door, he was hearing a lot of discontent from people who wanted their voices heard.

As a newcomer to the political scene, Savoie says he expects a lot of hard work and wants voters to let him know what they want for the riding.

Quispamsis Conservative M-L-A Elect Blaine Higgs

Conservative Blaine Higgs is the new M-L-A for the riding of Quispamsis.
In what has to be considered one of the upsets of the night, he defeated Liberal Mary Schryer and tells us one of the issues he hopes to tackle is the Province's growing debt.

Higgs says he was greeted with a lot of resentment towards Shawn Graham and the Liberals, while going door to door, including the failed NB Power-Hydro Quebec deal.

Rothesay Conservative M-L-A Elect Margaret Ann Blaney

For a fourth straight term.... Conservative Margaret Ann Blaney is the M-L-A for the riding of Rothesay.

Blaney defeated Liberal Victoria Clarke and says the feeling was good among all the Conservative candidates.

The two issues she kept hearing at the door is the dislike for Shawn Graham and rising property taxes which the party has a plan to combat.

As a former cabinet minister, Blaney was asked if there is a chance she will be asked to take on another portfolio which she says is up to Premier Elect David Alward.

Saint John Harbour Conservative M-L-A Elect Carl Killen

The closest race of the night was in Saint John Harbour.

It was just after eleven o'clock that Conservative Carl Killen, a member of Common Council, was declared the winner by only nine votes over Liberal Ed Doherty.

Killen says he realizes the numbers mean an automatic recount but tells us this is the most interesting and challenging riding in the province because there are so many people who feel despair and a sense of hopelessness.

Killen says his experience in municipal politics is one of the reasons why he decided to run provincially because he found out civic politicians have very little power to change policy when it comes to the big issues.

Local Election Results

Here are the local election results for Charlotte - The Isles
Rick Doucet (L)                            3176 Votes             (Elected)
Sharon E. Tucker (PC)                  2286
Sharon Greenlaw (NDP/NPD)      305
Berton Folkins (GREEN)              180
Terry James (PANB/AGNB)        248


Here are the local election results for Charlotte-Campobello
Curtis Malloch (PC)                      2980 Votes              (Elected)
Annabelle Juneau (L)                     1516
Lloyd P. Groom (NDP/NPD)        798
Janice E. Harvey (GREEN)            500
John Craig (PANB/AGNB)            404