Fredericton — The capital city’s new mayor, Steve Hicks, was proud to claim victory on election day over rivals Jenica Atwin as well as that weird guy who wanted to build doomsday bunkers in case the area gets bombed.
Atwin, though she ran a strong campaign, is still marred by a “floor crosser” reputation, as Frederictonians are notoriously unable to let go of the past. And that may be exactly why Hicks won.
In his tenure as councillor, Hicks voted against the following changes:
- Loosening zoning rules to allow up to four housing units on residential lots
- Borrowing additional money to build a performing arts centre
- Expropriating the New Brunswick Exhibition’s lease on city-owned land to speed up plans for a new school and housing development
- Investing in transit, and studies on the downtown Garrison district and trail lighting
“It’s time for a change!” declared the four-time city councillor at RustiCo. on Monday night. “Our outgoing mayor Kate said Fredericton is fine, but I beg to differ. It’s not fine, but it could be. I won because this city believes in me. They know I’m a good guy.
“I didn’t even need a platform!” he went on. “I just said, ‘Guys, come on, you know me, let’s make it happen’ and that was enough. Anything I didn’t have an answer for, I let ChatGPT handle. Let’s face it — having AI write all your social posts frees up a lot of time to make all these changes I’ve been talking about.”
A Manatee reporter asked Hicks, a former probation officer, what exactly he intends to change.
“Well, of course I want to get tough on crime. We’ll have a task force picking up needles on the street and shooing away the homeless.” Is that it? “Yeah, pretty much.”
Asked whether his spouse Angela Hicks’s election as Ward 5 councillor could be perceived as a conflict of interest, Hicks balked. “Of course not,” he said with a laugh, “but there’s some change for you — my wife will have to listen to me for a change!”
Good to see you back, does this mean more stories more often?