Eight candidates compete for one council spot in Beaumont byelection

Eight candidates who ran in the October 2017 Beaumont municipal election are back at it for a byelection.

The byelection comes after former councillor Sabrina Powers resigned over an unpaid utilities and property tax bill.

People with unpaid bills are not qualified to run in elections, according to the Local Authorities Elections Act.

Powers was elected on Oct. 16, 2017, but stepped down a month later after the unpaid bill was unearthed.

Beaumont's council consists of a mayor and six councillors. The winner of the byelection will fill the spot Powers vacated.

Now, she's hoping to win back her seat.

Powers said many people recognize that the unpaid bill was an "honest mistake."

"People are being very compassionate," she said. "It was not what I expected."

Seven other candidates vying for the seat

The town's official nomination list includes the names of eight people who ran in the 2017 election.

Kerri Regier said she decided to run again because she wants to be a more engaged in the community.

"That didn't change for me because I wasn't elected," she said. "I didn't see Oct. 16 as an end, but as a new beginning."

Candidate Sean Brown said it has been hard to engage people in race.

"Byelections are tough," he said. "It's the middle of winter, so it's hard to knock on doors. It's going to be hard to get people out and vote."

The byelection is set for Feb. 5.