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Running for Council

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7 Areas of Focus for a Municipal Council

1.  Leadership - implement collective vision and priorities through bylaws, resolutions, and policies.
2. Conflict Resolution - resolve differences, seek alternative solutions, review options.
3. Representation - obtain community input, advocate alternatives.
4. Policy Guidance - review current policy, direct future policy and implement the policies via by-law/resolution, review and refine bylaws.
5. Establish Service Delivery - determine services, establish level of service, decide on implementation model.
6. Monitor Results - set targets, assess annual results.
7. Financial - budget process, financial policies, audits, PSAB compliance.  


The municipal election date is
November 28, 2022

Please review the map to see which ward you reside in. Ward boundaries were drawn based on population.
  • Ward 1 - Wakefield, Somerville, Simonds, Peel
  • Ward 2 - Hartland and Coldstream
  • Ward 3 - Brighton

There will be one councilor from each ward.  In addition, there will be three councilors elected at large.  The mayor will also be elected at large.

To run for a ward seat, you must reside in that ward.  To run for an at-large position, you must reside in the new town called Hartland (formerly Entity 74).


What is the role of a councilor?
  • work with members of council to set direction, adopt policies and by-laws, and govern;
  • represent the citizens of Hartland (formerly known as Entity 74);
  • vote on matters before Council (abstaining counts as a vote in favour);
  • sit on standing committees as assigned by Mayor and on special committees established by Council;
  • make decisions to by-laws and major projects in the municipality.

The first election for the new entities in the province, will be November 28, 2022. Locally, our residents will be voting for the new council for the Town of Hartland.  For more information on the elections, go to  Elections NB.

You may vote for mayor and any of the candidates running for at-large positions regardless of where in the new Town of Hartland you reside. You may vote only for the candidates running in the ward you live in (e.g. if you live in Peel, you can't vote for a candidate running in Ward 1, you must vote for a candidate in Ward 3).
We need more diversity in Municipal Government!

If Council's decisions are to reflect and respond to everyone's needs, we need everyone to participate.
Want a course on how? Check out See Jane Run.


To be clear on your interest in becoming an elected member of Council, be sure to give this question a lot of thought.  Do your research on what it means to be a member of Council and what the commitment will entail.  Anyone running for council should be doing so to better the community as a whole, and it should never be for self-interest, or personal gain. 

Eligibility is governed by Provincial legislation.  To determine if you are eligible please review the criteria on the Elections NB webpage.  Click here

There is a lot to local government so it is very important to do your research and educate yourself on what local government is all about.  Don't be shy, ask questions and be sure to attend one of the open-houses that will be offered over the next couple of months.  

Two presentations that you might find informative:

There is most definitely a time commitment associated with being a member of the Council.  

Council typically meets twice a month: once for the regular public meeting and once as a working group (or Committee of the Whole).  Both are public. There will be reading and homework prior to each meeting:  you will need to educate yourself on the agenda items that will be discussed and so you can provide valuable feedback and opinions on the topics.  

In addition, there are other committee meetings and special events that council members are required to attend.  Overall one could expect to dedicate at least 12 hours a month to be an active member of council. 

You will file nomination papers with the Municipal Returning Office once it is  open on October 11th.

There are rules regarding campaign activities that you will need to follow.

All of this information (and downloadable  nomination papers) can be found at the Elections NB website under information for local candidates.