By Tina Comeau
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
Belle Hatfield may not be Yarmouth’s next MLA, but the independent candidate says she accomplished what she set out to do in this byelection campaign, and that was to re-engage people in the political process.
And in the process of doing that, she finished third out of a field of six candidates – and finished ahead of the NDP, the province’s majority government.
“I know each and everyone of the people here felt some sense that we can be empowered, we can make a difference in this community,” she said to a room full of supporters at the Maple Room of the Colony Harbour Inn. “For that I am humbled, truly humbled, because I didn’t think it would come to this and I’m just very grateful that we were right when we thought that this community was more than just the Cat ferry closure, that we needed to have the capacity to re-energize ourselves, just as I was re-energized every time I went out on the campaign.”
At one point in last week’s candidate’s debate, Hatfield was asked why it was better to run as an independent. As the last of the results came in on byelection night, she was asked how the overall campaign was better because of her presence.
- Read more special articles :
- - Zach Churchill wins byelection
- - Charles Crosby places second
- - John Deveau finishes in fourth place
- - Byelection candidates debate issues
“I think it made everybody a better campaigner,” she said.
Because although as a candidate she was described as an independent, in reality she had a team of people working with her to change the political process in Yarmouth, and people came to the table who, she said, otherwise might have given this election process a pass.
“I think that for many people who have been disengaged from politics, the presence of somebody who could speak with authenticity, who could be real, who could say the emperor has no clothes, engaged them in a way that perhaps that wouldn’t have been engaged if I hadn’t been a presence in this campaign,” Hatfield said.
She also said she thinks a lot of people overestimated the influence of the independent movement.
“And I think because of what we could bring to this campaign we were able to highjack the message in some ways,” she added. “The message that we delivered was a message they (meaning the other candidates and their camps) had to respond to and that changed the campaign.”
And Hatfield hopes this movement of change and involvement doesn’t end when the campaign signs are taken down. She asked her supporters to make a pledge to not sit silently on the sidelines, but to reach out and talk to one another about the issues and how together they can make a difference for Yarmouth. And, she invited them to make a pact to start these discussions on the points that people agree on as a starting point to work towards the betterment of the community and the people who live here.
As Hatfield thanked everyone for their support, Larry Deveau, one of her supporters said to Hatfield, “I think each one of us owes you more thanks than you owe us.”
ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS:
Zach Churchill, Liberal: 3,986 votes
Charles Crosby, PC: 2,628 votes
Belle Hatfield, independent: 673 votes
John Deveau, NDP: 513 votes
John Percy, Green: 49 votes
Jonathan Dean: 19 votes
