New Borden-Carleton mayor promises community growth

BORDEN-CARLETON – The first mayor of Borden-Carleton in almost 15 years attributes his landslide victory Monday night to a tried and tested election strategy.

“I did a lot of campaigning, I think that’s what it takes to get in. You gotta get door to door,” said Dean Sexton.

“I would like to thank all the residents that supported me, and I’m here to work for everybody.”

The 68-year-old retired school teacher left his council seat to run for the mayor’s chair against two other former councillors, Shane MacLean and James Hagen. Sexton was elected with 244 votes, compared to Hagen’s 43 and MacLean’s 42.

The previous council decided earlier in the year that Borden-Carleton would become a town after being incorporated as a community in 1995.

This year, then-chairperson Fred Leard technically became Borden’s mayor when the decision was made to make the community a town again. But Leard decided not to reoffer in the Nov. 5 municipal election, opening the door for the first elected mayor since the mid-nineties.

“I wasn’t going to run against Freddy, I was going to try to go in as councillor again,” said Sexton of his decision to run for the top seat. “When he didn’t reoffer I decided to give it a try, and here I sit.”

As for the near future, Sexton will have to get familiar with four new councillors and two returning ones. With MacLean leaving his seat to run for mayor, it left Raymond Hinchey, Mary MacDonald-Pickering and Trent DesRoche as incumbent councillors.

MacDonald-Pickering and DesRoche retained their seats, but Hinchey was not re-elected.

The four new faces are Randy Ahearn, Charlie MacKenzie, Eric Stewart and Steven Hunter.

Sexton also has some immediate priorities for his mayoral term.

“I’m looking at trying to get a subdivision here, trying to get community growth… and some kind of funding for a community centre, and we do need a new fire truck,” he said. “I’ve got quite a list (of priorities) but those are my three… big things right now.”

In March, the previous council voted 4-2 to disband the community’s police department in favour of a single RCMP officer from the East Prince detachment. The move was a cost-cutting measure, with an estimated yearly savings of close to $100,000.

Sexton said he was in favour of that decision, and it likely won’t be revisited.

“We weren’t dissatisfied with the police force, it was just the cost that was too expensive for a small community,” he said. “Loved to have been able to have kept them, because they were all good police officers.”

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Here’s how Borden-Carleton residents voted Monday (results courtesy of the Borden-Carleton community office):

Mayor

Dean Sexton – 244 votes (elected)

James Hagen - 43

Shane MacLean – 42

Council

Mary MacDonald-Pickering – 214 (elected)

Randy Ahearn – 189 (elected)

Charlie MacKenzie – 171 (elected)

Trent DesRoche – 156 (elected)

Eric Stewart – 150 (elected)