MURRAY HARBOUR, P.E.I. — Residents of Murray Harbour went to the polls for the second time in a week on Monday, this time to elect a new village councillor in a byelection.
Retired nurse Sandra Gordon beat former mayor Garry Herring in a vote to fill a council seat left vacant by James Irving, who resigned shortly after being acclaimed in last November’s municipal election. Irving did not disclose a reason for leaving council.
Gordon, 75, has lived in Murray Harbour for nearly 50 years and served on the village council in the 1980s and 90s. Out of six current councillor seats, Gordon’s is the only one to have been chosen by a vote rather than by acclamation. She won the vote without any campaigning.
“I didn’t do any,” she said.
“But apparently friends did,” she added, noting that others were posting endorsements of Gordon on Facebook.
Murray Harbour’s CAO Mark Tiller said that the largest project Gordon and this session’s council will tackle will be a set of new land-use planning bylaws for 2022. The municipality is not currently required to manage its own planning bylaws.
“I think we will be able to get things done for the Harbour,” Gordon said. “I hope I have the experience.”
Gordon will be sworn in at a Murray Harbour council meeting on Wednesday.
