Why one Nova Scotia town won't have a municipal election this year

Mayor Ron Chisholm walks most days through the town of Mulgrave, N.S., chatting with residents in the small oceanside community and keeping an eye on things.

Although Nova Scotia's municipal elections are just weeks away, Chisholm isn't on the campaign trail this year. 

In fact, there won't be an election in the Guysborough County town at all — Chisholm and all four council members were uncontested, and will win their seats by acclamation.

"I didn't think we'd have enough [candidates]. So I was kind of even happy-shocked that we did have a council," said Chisholm, who will enter his second term as mayor.

Mulgrave is not the only town that has seen complete acclamations. In the 2020 municipal elections, both towns of Middleton and Lockeport saw all mayors and councillors win by default.

This year, 31 of the province's 49 municipalities have at least one acclamation. Eight mayors have been acclaimed, and some municipalities — like the districts of Argyle and Clare — will have more than half their seats won by default.

With a population of about 630 residents in Mulgrave, Chisholm said it's always hard to find people to run. But this year, an anonymous Facebook user started a page to "bash and trash" council.

"I think that's probably the biggest point of nobody wanting to step forward because who wants to put themselves in harm's way like that?" Chisholm said.

"Anyways, they had enough chance to run for an election, run against me, but didn't do it. So I guess that says enough."

Municipal politicians across Nova Scotia and Canada have spoken up about the personal attacks they've dealt with in recent years, especially with the rise of social media.

Emily Lutz, deputy mayor of the Municipality of the County of Kings in the Annapolis Valley, said as a woman in her 30s in politics, she's experienced online hate.

"I could see how that ... would make people nervous from entering public life," said Lutz. "It's always been present. I think we're doing a better job of talking about it now."

But small municipalities like Mulgrave aren't the only ones struggling to field candidates. The municipal district of East Hants has about 23,000 people and is seeing major growth, but seven of its 11 districts will be acclaimed. 

In the municipal district of Guysborough, which has about 4,500 people, incumbent councillors have been acclaimed in seven of the eight seats.

At 75, acclaimed councillor Mary Desmond said she hadn't wanted to run for a second term, but no one else stepped up. 

Now, Desmond said she's laying the groundwork for the 2028 municipal elections and has reached out to some young people in her district. The designated African Nova Scotian seat is the only one of its kind in the province, and includes the historic Black communities of Lincolnville, Sunnyville, and Upper Big Tracadie.

"It is a designated seat and we don't really want to lose it," Desmond said. "I even told them, 'I will even mentor you, you know, and bring you on board with some different committees that I work on' … and for them not to be afraid."

Alex Marland, a political science professor at Acadia University, said it's unlikely that all these acclamations mean voters believe the candidates are simply the best people for the job.

Municipal elections consistently have the lowest voter turnout of all three levels of government in Nova Scotia, ranging between 20 to 40 per cent depending on the area. 

Calls for province to offer more funds, support 

Marland said it's the provincial government's responsibility to put money into a proper communications campaign. He would like to see brochures in people's mailboxes when nominations open to tell them about how to run.

"I understand resources are always tight, but this is about democracy," Marland said.

The Department of Municipal Affairs offers a free campaign school ahead of every municipal election. Nearly 100 people attended three in-person sessions around the province this summer, and about 450 people took part online, said a provincial spokesperson. The Status of Women also offers free online resources for women and gender-diverse people. 

Trend similar in 2020

This election has seen a very slight improvement over 2020, when 32 of the province's 49 municipalities saw at least one acclamation.

Back in Mulgrave, Mayor Chisholm said he's optimistic the town can see more participation in the next election.

Years ago, financial troubles had the town exploring the possibility of amalgamating with a larger municipality. Now new families have bought up the remaining few houses in Mulgrave, and the municipality owns a large piece of industrial land it's hoping could attract businesses. 

"Each year, there seems to be more and more younger people coming into the community, and if we can attract them to come forward, that would be good," said Chisholm. "This is their future."

Municipal election day is Oct.19.