Clare votes in new municipal councillor in byelection

The Municipality of the District of Clare has a new councillor.

A special election Saturday saw Nadine Comeau elected to fill the vacant seat for District 7, according to unofficial results from the municipality.

She will be the only woman on the eight-person council.

Comeau received 265 votes, nearly half the total 572 cast in the election. The participation rate for District 7 voters was 61 per cent.

She defeated three other candidates:Leon Dugas, Kevin ComeauandRanneTitus.

The results will be posted on the municipality's website on Tuesday after the official count is completed.

The seat was left vacant by former warden Ronnie LeBlanc when he was elected to Province House this August as the Liberal candidate for Clare.

District 7 includes parts of Meteghan, St. Martin, Bear Cove and St. Alphonse.

After Comeau is sworn in, council will appoint a new warden and deputy warden.

This byelection is one of several that have taken place this fall to fill municipal councillor vacancies across the province after the provincial election.

The Municipality of Chester sawDerek Wells voted in as thenew councillor for the municipality's District 3 last weekend, a seat formerly held by Danielle Barkhouse.