Cape Breton mayor looks back at 'four difficult years' as she prepares to leave office
Amanda McDougall-Merrill says she’s walking away from the mayor’s chair in Cape Breton after four difficult and challenging years, seeking to find a better balance with her family life.
McDougall-Merrill, the first woman elected mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, recently announced she won’t be running for re-election in the fall. As she told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis in a candid interview Monday, social media and the major storms and struggles that crashed into the island influenced her decision to step down.
“It’s been four difficult years. We’ve had a number of states of local emergency, gone through negotiations with our unions, still working on coming out of COVID, a lot of challenges that definitely weren’t in my campaign brochure,” she said. “I really thought I was coming in more for policy leadership and the more nuts and bolts of what’s happening every day, but really the bulk of our time was spent just surviving.
“I came in from more of an academic perspective but it was very much being a nurturer and making sure when we weren’t being heard, yell louder.”
McDougall Merrill, who was first elected as a councillor in 2016 before winning the race to be mayor in 2020, said she’s proud of the work she and her team accomplished, noting how storms like Fiona and other natural disasters forced her to find her voice as a leader.
“I’m proud of the way we were able to move through and recover,” she said. “I’m definitely stronger than I thought I was. Going through those events brings out the best and worst of us, and during Fiona I was terrified that my windows were going to blow in and I didn’t know I had it in me to put that aside.
“I’m so much more confident in my leadership because of those roles but that’s only because I’ve had my staff supporting me. We did it together and it’s pretty remarkable.”
McDougall-Merrill said the general uncivility seen on social media regarding politics contributed to her decision to not run in the upcoming election.
“(The campaign) is not something I want to go through again,” she said. “I don’t want to be focused on solely because of my gender. I remember there was a hashtag on social media called KnockedUpMandy during my mayoral campaign. You can’t unhear, you can’t unsee, you can’t unknow what you do know.
“Unfortunately social media has given people a platform where they don’t have to be held accountable. Four years in this chair has been pretty heavy.”
McDougall-Merrill said she hopes people continue to get into politics and she plans to remain vocal even as she enters a stage of her life.
“We need leaders to bring people together,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what role you’re in, you always have a voice and you deserve to be heard.”
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPs to vote on motion to oust House Speaker Greg Fergus over allegations of partisanship
Members of Parliament will be voting Tuesday on a Conservative-led motion to oust House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus, amid renewed concern over his 'alleged lack of impartiality.'
Why young people keep getting caught in debt traps and how to break the cycle
Canadians are feeling the squeeze between incomes that haven't kept up with the cost of living, housing crises in markets across the country and rising interest rates brought in to control inflation. Experts share some tips for managing debt and spending.
Richard Dreyfuss' comments about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity lead venue to apologize
The actor Richard Dreyfuss showed up in a dress at a 'Jaws'-themed event in Massachusetts, where the blockbuster 1975 movie he starred in was shot, and then proceeded to make demeaning remarks about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity.
Severe thunderstorms, 15 cm of snow: Canadian weather forecast highlights
Well into spring, some parts of Canada could experience a wintry comeback, while other areas are bracing for severe thunderstorms, according to local forecasts.
WATCH Airline pilot treated to stunning northern lights show during U.S.-Portugal flight
An airline pilot got quite a show on May 11 while flying from San Francisco to Lisbon when a solar storm caused stunning auroras.
Tornado touches down west of the Island of Montreal
Emergency services in the town of Rigaud, Que. are investigating after a tornado touched down shortly after 5:30 p.m.
At least 60 reports of Lyme disease so far as Ontario enters tick season
Peak tick season is only just beginning but reports of bites – and tick-borne illnesses – are already higher than normal in Ontario.
Spy watchdog's foreign interference review finds 'unacceptable gaps' in accountability
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Public Safety Canada lacked a system for tracking who received and read specific intelligence on foreign interference, creating 'unacceptable gaps in accountability,' the national spy watchdog has found.
Man convicted in attack on Pelosi's husband back in court after judge's error
A man who assaulted U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in 2022 will have another day in court on Tuesday after the federal judge overseeing the case failed to allow him to speak during his sentencing hearing earlier this month.