CBRM Mayor Amanda McDougall-Merrill says she won't run in next election

The mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality says she will not re-offer in October’s municipal election.

Amanda McDougall-Merrill made the announcement in a Thursday statement from the CBRM mayor’s office.

She was first elected as district 8 councillor in 2016 and became mayor in 2020.

McDougall-Merrill says she is most proud of being the municipality’s first elected female mayor.

“There are many young women in our community that now know that it is possible for a woman to be in a position of leadership. When they see me, in the mayors seat, they feel represented, and it opens the door for them to consider roles like Mayor in the future,” she said in the statement. “Being the first female mayor is something that I am deeply proud of and am humbled that it is part of my legacy.”

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McDougall-Merrill also says she is proud of how the municipality managed two states of local emergency during her time as mayor. The first was during post-tropical storm Fiona in September 2022 and the second was in February when the region received a record amount of snow.

Less than a month after taking office, McDougall-Merrill gave birth to her son, Emmett.

“I did a pretty good job, I think, in my first month of being mayor and being pregnant,” she told CTV News in January 2021. “If anything, it brings a better perspective to what I’m doing and why I’m doing this job, and thinking about the future generations that will feel the effects of our decisions as a council.”

McDougall-Merrill now says her family is her “main consideration” for not running for a second term.

“My son was born less than a month after I took office. While I am grateful I was able to take him along with me in his early days, children grow quickly and being with my boys as they grow is my priority. My children and my husband have sacrificed a lot for me to be in this office,” she says.

In a follow up message on her Facebook page, McDougall-Merrill added it wasn’t an easy decision to make.

“My deepest gratitude to each of you for your kindness, for your thoughtful criticism and for your support over the past four years,” she said. “I know the CBRM will continue to grow and will continue to thrive and more great things are to come.”

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