Rothesay mayor‑elect Matt Alexander says he wants to continue major projects in the town while keeping the tax rate stable.
Provincewide municipal elections are being decided Monday.
Several acclaimed mayors are preparing to take office this week.
Matt Alexander is the mayor‑elect for Rothesay. He said his focus during his term will be continuing the intergenerational community center, the Millennium Drive development and the new wastewater facility, maintaining the tax rate, and bringing new housing options to the town.
Alexander explained that in recent years, the town has seen several apartment developments, but he believes developments such as townhouses could better serve the community.
“I really think that townhomes are a feature people are looking for in the valley,” he said. “I’m hoping that some developers will come forward with that type of development.”
Before being elected mayor, Alexander served as Rothesay’s deputy mayor under Mayor Nancy Grant for 10 years. In total, he has 14 years of experience on Rothesay council.
Alexander said the work done under Grant was “exceptional,” adding that his time on council and the lessons learned under her leadership will serve him well in the future.
He said the biggest lesson he learned from Grant was to really listen to what the community has to say.
“It may not always work out that council will approve something that somebody likes, but we try to do our best for the greater good of the community,” he said.
Alexander said he wants to follow in Grant’s footsteps and continue to “responsible grow” Rothesay while maintaining its “small town character.”
He added he has always wanted to be mayor but decided to run in this election after feeling he had enough experience to make the jump.
All previous councillors reoffered in this election, and a total of 10 candidates are running for seven councillor positions.
The candidates include incumbent councillors Helen Boyle, Dave Brown, Peter John Lewis, Tiffany Mackay French, Bill McGuire and Donald Shea. New candidates include Mike Black, Tyler Davis and David Reevey.
As of 9:00 p.m. all of the incumbent candidates have been reelected. But a new face joins the team. Tyler Davis is now Rothesay’s seventh councillor, winning the race with 1221 votes.
Davis was a former realtor who moved with his family to Rothesay in 2022. He is currently a stay-at-home dad to his four-year old son and one-year old daughter and community volunteer, according to his candidate campaign platform.
Davis currently serves on Rothesay’s works and utilities committee and formerly served on the town’s planning advisory committee.
