Municipal Election 2026: Scott Reid Candidate for Ward 4

Join us for a special series of CAC: In Conversation, covering the 2026 Municipal Election in the Fundy Albert Region. 

In this conversation, we chat with Scott Reid, Candidate for the position of Councillor of Ward 4.  

All candidates were given a list of potential questions at least 24 hours in advance of their interview and were asked the same questions. We have completed light editing for clarity, length, and sound quality. All views and opinions represented in the interviews are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Connecting Albert County. 

Connecting Albert County thanks our presenting sponsor, the Bennett & Albert County Healthcare Foundation.

For more information on Connecting Albert County, please go to our website or find us on Facebook or Instagram.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello and welcome to Connecting Albert County in Conversation series. This is again part of our special edition covering the 2026 municipal elections. I'm Melody Land, coordinator with CAC, and today I'm happy to be here with Scott Reed. He is a candidate for Ward 4 and has agreed to come and chat with us this morning. Thank you, Scott, for being here.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

No problem. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

So today is an opportunity for you to share about yourself with the community. And the community has sent us in questions to get to know you and your whys and all of the sorts of things that they're wondering about. So we appreciate you taking the time. Connecting Albert County tries really hard to bring the community from one end of our region to the other together. And in this election, really trying to spread the word. So we have great voter turnout and people are voting with an educated vote and have every opportunity to do so. So we thank you for taking the time to help us in this request and engage in the community even further. We really do appreciate it. So to begin, um, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Sure. I guess uh I'll start off with my life. I have lived here in Hillsborough all my life for 51 years. In that time, I was involved with many school activities and minor hockey. I gave back uh to minor hockey by giving my time as a coach for 26 years and as a referee for 25 years. I was involved in organizing and coaching a youth soccer program for 10 years, and uh, like I say, raising my family and involved in anything I could be. Uh, I guess work-wise, I have worked in the municipality of Hillsboro and the latter fundy Albert for almost 20 years. I worked in all aspects of a municipality from looking after roads and grounds to the water and wastewater. For eight years of that, I was the director of operations, water operator in charge, as well as the working supervisor of the public works staff.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

How would you describe your leadership style and how have you demonstrated that in the past within the community or in other areas?

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Uh I guess I believe in leading by example and never ask of anyone to do anything I would not do of myself. I believe in working together and treating everyone with respect and appreciation. I can honestly say that I believe that I am a good leader, and I am certain that if you were to ask any of the public works staff that I have worked with over the years, they could probably tell you the same.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Awesome. Thank you for that response. Um, as you know, having had experience working for a municipality, but in any type of group uh similar to you've been a part of in the past, whenever you get a group of people together, there is conflict. And conflict can not necessarily be a negative thing. In actuality, it is a positive thing because that's how we share differences of opinion and move forward. How do you handle and navigate conflict in group situations and in leadership situations?

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Well, while working in that field, I had many situations where I had to talk with residents that had uh some unhappy concerns, I guess you could say, with different situations they were in, be it their water, their sewer, their land, uh their road condition in front of their place, anything like that. And I believe that after talking with the residents and going over the concerns and trying to help them along the way with, you know, what is their responsibility, what is the village responsibility? And I think we were usually most of the time able to come to a conclusion that made both sides happy.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

So moving into your why. Um you have worked for the municipality and you've had a long history with it. Why did you decide to run in this municipal election specifically?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

I have decided to run in this election because for many years I have seen Hillsborough grow and improve. And lately I do not think I've seen the growth that most people would like to see after this amalgamation has taken place. Uh I believe that I can help fundi Albert moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

And how have you been preparing to run for office?

SPEAKER_00 4:31

I've been out about out and about talking to a few residents here and there. Uh I've uh taken advantage of talking to my father, who was a member of council for many years. And it's always good to talk to somebody that's been in the field and has a lot of wisdom in that area, and I'm fortunate enough to have someone close to me that could help me out in that field.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Yeah, I bet that would be uh a really special experience for the both of you for you going through this right now, for him as well. Definitely. So you've mentioned you haven't seen the growth or the the trajectory since amalgamation that you'd like to see as a resident and as somebody who's worked with the municipality. So that being said, what is your platform and or what do you see are the most pressing issues facing uh Funde Albert?

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Oh I guess one of the things I see right now when just watching, and you know, I I have a close connection with with uh friends and family in the area. And so what what I've seen right now, I guess one of the major issues is is the staff for our municipality. Uh I guess it being the lack of staff needed and the moral of the uh the staff, what they're having right now going through this transition.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Okay. And so what would you hope to achieve in that area um as a counselor?

SPEAKER_00 6:00

I believe working with our staff first and foremost would be key. We we have a lot of uh infrastructure now in our you know, our three key areas to our municipality, um major things being our drinking water systems, wastewater systems, and then it goes on through to you and all our roads, our green spaces, uh trails, and much more. And without having good staff on the ground looking after all these key components, we really have nothing.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

In that area, um, how would you improve the staff or the the morale? Are there any key takeaways from your experience that you think would be beneficial?

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Uh small little points of uh appreciation for the staff uh goes a long way, recognizing the work that they put in, uh, you know, giving them compliments and helping them along the way, uh, asking questions and finding out their what their needs are and try to provide them with the equipment and the knowledge they need to do a better job and to do it in a happy manner, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Awesome. Thank you for your answer. Now moving into the area of time, as you know, serving the community through municipal government can be time consuming. There are multiple meetings per month at various times of the day and evening, as well as community events, boards to sit on, other projects. Can you speak to any concerns that voters might have about how you'll manage your time and how available you'll be able to be to your constituents?

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Uh I guess one key thing that sticks in my mind is, you know, over the years I've I've volunteered a lot of my time with uh different activities through the village. Uh I raised a young family here. My wife and I, you know, we work two jobs each as a young family, you know, to get by. So we're very busy, but we always made time for our children, made time to get our children to events and at the same time trying to give some time back in the village. Uh I remember talking to one person one time when I had a function on the go and I was looking for someone to volunteer their time to help me out. And I remember somebody saying, you know, you should always go find that one person that looks so busy that they have no time to do anything else, because they're the ones that always seem to be able to make time and find the time to help out when needed.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

And do you consider yourself one of those people, Scott?

SPEAKER_00 8:34

I believe so.

SPEAKER_01 8:35

So moving into areas of training, um, earlier this year in the news and media, there's been a lot of talk about around the idea of mandatory training for municipal counselors and the availability of that training. So are you for or against required training? And have you had any training thus far in regards to um municipal office?

SPEAKER_00 9:02

I haven't had any training, I guess per se, that's directly towards being a counselor. Uh over the years, I've taken multiple hours and days of training with my job, a lot of that being in the water, in the wastewater. Uh, the position I am in in now, again, I I do I take a lot of uh training, a lot of day courses. I believe, I believe any training is uh beneficial, and any training that corresponds with uh experience that a person has is all very beneficial to have in your uh pocket, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

Okay, thank you. The New Brunswick Local Governance Act is the primary legislation governing municipalities, rural communities, and regional districts following the major reforms that came in in January 2023, which we've alluded to as amalgamation. Um, there were key updates to the Governance Act during that time regarding regional service delivery changes, a new local governance commission, restructuring of local service districts, and so on and so forth. The act is the thing that sets the framework for council power, financial duties, and bylaws. Can you share with us your level of familiarity with the New Brunswick Local Governance Act?

SPEAKER_00 10:20

I believe the idea of this new restructuring of municipalities, I guess initially was to make things easier for council to make decisions. And it was supposed to improve on efficiency and give rural areas more representation. Uh I don't know if that has been the fact. Uh a lot of communities in New Brunswick have been struggling. Uh many communities have uh really got on board and and build themselves a stronger community. Uh here in Fundy Albert, we're a little bit different. We we've we're the largest municipality in the province now, you know, not population-wise, but you know, we go all the way from the Riverview Town limit to Alma. So we're a big area. We have uh three municipalities in this area that all have you know key structures, water, wastewater, and these municipalities all have you know different ways of doing things over the years. Uh, I don't believe you know everything was put up front on what this was going to mean to each village, and so this has caused some big challenges to try to make three different areas all work as one. But I believe that uh, you know, with a good strong council and working together with residents and having the good conversations, I believe we can get everything moving forward again.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Okay. And in regards to the the act itself, the the rules and the um data in that document, have you had any opportunity yet to take a peek at it or familiarity with it?

SPEAKER_00 12:05

I've briefly read over some of it. Uh there's a lot there to take in. So, you know, over it's gonna be a big learning curve for anybody that's new. I guess you know, anybody that's been in council, they've got a hands up on this one. And anybody new coming in, we've got lots to learn. But I believe anybody that uh is coming in will take the time and and get this figured out and get it under their belt, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Thank you so much. Now moving into the area of transparency and conflicts of interest. There have been many public conversations around concerns in regards to transparency of local council and perceived conflicts of interest that have occurred around decision making of counselors. So first of all, what is your response to this concern and how has it impacted local governance?

SPEAKER_00 13:01

I think uh I think government has a bad rap right from the beginning on things they do from residents as a taxpayer. Uh you know any any decision that's been made, that's gonna be made, you're always you're always gonna have people that are happy with the decision, and you're always gonna have people that are upset with the decision. Uh that's gonna happen no matter what you make. But uh I believe if you make the right decision, the majority of the people will be happy. And those who are not, I think they will realize maybe in time that that was a good decision. And if it's not, maybe down the road it can be changed into a better decision. Uh but I do believe when making decisions, no matter what it is, you must be honest and upfront with the residents. And if you're always honest, there's nothing to hide.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

So, in that vein, if you are the successful candidate for your ward, how will you hold yourself transparent and avoid conflicts of interest in your service to the community?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Again, I guess first of all, just be honest and upfront with the residents and let them know what your involvement is or if you've had any involvement. And yeah, I it just comes down to being honest on everything that you're involved in and let the people decide.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Okay, thank you. Moving into some specific files that municipal council holds in the community. Um, as I mentioned before, we have uh taken the questions from the community that are reflected in these um files as well as the things we've already discussed. So the first file I would introduce to you is about nature and environmental concerns. The village of Funde Albert has a lot of resources, but perhaps the most obvious is our connection to the natural environment. It's so profound that it's actually highlighted our tagline friendly by nature. We are also a part of the UNESCO Funday Biosphere Region, which is a huge and significantly global designation, excuse me. How do you see the municipality's role in maintaining, managing, and utilizing our natural resources?

SPEAKER_00 15:20

I guess having lived here for you know 51 years, I grew up enjoying everything you have just mentioned, right from the uh forest to our trails to our to our beaches to our you know, sliding in our mud flats and and all the above, right? Uh, you know, we've got a lot to offer in our area. You know, we have Fundy National Park on one end of us. We have uh the Helpful Rocks right in the center. Uh we've got uh you know, we've got organizations that have come in, you know, the uh the the biking club with their trails have been moving forward. You talk to anybody, they say they're the best trails around. Uh we have a lot of uh interest in other groups that you know want to take advantage of what we have to offer with our nature. So, you know, we have a lot to work with there.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Definitely so. Um, one specific question that has come up multiple times is in relation to the spraying of glycophate in our region's forests. And I just wondered if you could offer uh your opinion or feedback on that issue.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Sure. Uh as far as spraying of our forests and stuff, there's you know, there's been no real good look that has good outlook that has come from this. There's no been real big benefits other than big business uh saving a little money by by spraying because it's cheap and easy for them. I believe that it is not good for our lands and our streams and our wildlife. Uh, you know, if if this was the only way to do something, then maybe they would have to re-look at it, but it's not. Uh, you know, years ago we've always hired people to maintain our forests. We've put people in the uh forest to do thinning, uh, it creates jobs, uh, gives people something to do. And uh yeah, and when you're working in the uh in the field, you you see what uh good things come from it, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

So the next file to discuss is under the area of housing poverty and cost of living. Before we moved on to that, did you have any other feedback under the nature and environmental concerns?

SPEAKER_00 17:32

No, that's good for now.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

All righty. So under housing, poverty, and cost of living, there's always a lot of discussion around the challenges of living, no matter where you go. The cost of living has a huge impact on the residents of our village. Precarious housing is a problem. And some statistics suggest that there is a significant and and quite high significant number of our residents that are within a couple of paychecks at risk of homelessness or being displaced. There's increased use of food banks, other food security resources. The list goes on and on. I'm wondering how have you or how will you use the full range of the municipality's tools and resources to increase access to things like affordable housing, reducing or eliminating homelessness, increasing food security, or overall have a positive effect in any area of poverty reduction?

SPEAKER_00 18:32

This is a hard one, and it's uh mostly because it is a major problem and it goes far beyond our community. Uh I believe we can help our residents in our own municipality, in our own municipal council, uh by trying to keep tax rates and service fees to the minimal that we uh require. Uh I believe one of the best ways of doing this is not by cutting things out of our budget, but by being very careful not to spend money on wasteful things. Uh, make sure anytime that money is being spent, it we are going to get a good outcome from that. Uh you know, and then outside of that, I believe the village could maybe help and provide uh by assisting residents in need, by by showing, by helping them find the proper channels to get help. Uh, you know, we may not have the funds to help them out of a bad situation, but we may be able to point them in the right direction to go where they need to go. And on the same, you know, if we are in a municipal council, you know, reaching out to our provincial government and our federal government for some grants and programs out there to uh help the people that need it.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Moving into economic development, and you have mentioned it um briefly in previous uh comments. Uh what do you see as the municipal council's role in regards to economic development in our region?

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Uh everybody likes to see you know big new developments and and whatnot, but uh I I believe that we shouldn't be really looking for anything big and new to come in. We we've got a lot of uh a lot of local businesses here in our community. I believe in helping them out first before you try to bring anything new in. Uh give them the give them the strength they need to do well and to continue doing well so we don't lose what we have already.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

So what are some ways then that you would suggest would best grow the community?

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Again, I guess it believes in, you know, we you hear the saying all the time, you know, support local. I I believe I believe that uh goes a long way. You know, you have local businesses that hire local people, uh local students, uh they tend to give back to local programs. Uh so you know, if you if you support your own business in your own community the best you can, uh they're there to give back to the residents. And together, I think, you know, small little steps like that all add up to big steps in the end.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Yes, thank you. Moving on to arts, culture, and history. Do you think art, culture, and history add value to our municipality?

SPEAKER_00 21:32

Yes, I do. All you have to do is uh take a drive when all our local artisans are getting together and and having their tours, and you can see the art and the culture and the history we have in this area for, like, say, from all our uh local artisans. Um I believe uh tourism is our major strength in this area. We don't have any you know major industry here, but uh we do have a lot of tourists and tourists. season and when you get talking to the tourists and stuff, uh a lot of they like to hear the uh the stories and the history of uh why we are the way we are here.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

So how do you see the municipality could engage better with this particular file, the history, arts, culture group, um, maybe through things like strategic planning, policy, investment, programming, so on and so forth. But what do you think the municipality's role should be in this?

SPEAKER_00 22:33

As a municipality, I think we could put uh some investment in towards the local business, uh help them get information out to, you know, again, mostly our tourists like in the area. Uh you know, in all corners we have a lot of back roads, uh a lot of uh out of the way. Uh so maybe some of our tourists on the 114 finding out about some of our hidden gems. So maybe we can promote with uh signage or flyers or something like that from the village point to uh to help these smaller entities out.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Something you know a lot about is the infrastructure of the municipality. Roads are always a concern for residents, especially this time of year we see a shift in everything in a very real way. But that isn't the only area. As you have mentioned when we amalgamated we included um infrastructure from one end close to Riverview, you know, bordering Riverview all the way to Alma how have you or how will you utilize the full range of the municipalities tools and resources in the management maintaining or improving of important municipal infrastructure or even develop new projects or initiatives having about 20 years experience with uh road maintenance and rebuilding in our municipality I can uh I'm positive that I can offer uh you know much support and and good productive uh planning on how roads should be maintained and improved uh we're a little bit in a difficult situation you know we are a a large municipality from from Riverview to Alma uh but a lot of our funds are as far as road go I I believe are just within the municipality uh provincially they're still looking after work the rural districts so we've got a little bit of you know bumping heads there with with the province on some of the outside regions so there's a lot of work there to really try to bring things maybe a little more closely together so that uh all the taxpayers are benefiting from you know some road maintenance and and upgrades. So we've covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time um but before we wrap up for today I was wondering if there is there anything we haven't covered that you would want municipal residents to know about you and your bid in this election uh no we I I believe we did cover quite a bit of uh ground there with those questions uh you know I if there's any residents that uh you know has specific questions they'd like to know maybe what my answer might be towards that I am always available to reach out uh out to I think most people do know me uh they can get a hold of me and I'm glad I'll be glad to talk to uh anybody wonderful thank you so much we appreciate your time today again as I said in our attempt to help people connect with the candidates um in our region and uh get the the word out there that the election is here and we want people to engage with it and and make educated choices so we do appreciate your time I know you're like you mentioned you're a busy man but you have made the time to do this and we do appreciate it. You're very welcome this is Melody Land from Connecting Albert County the in conversation series and stay tuned for more information about municipal elections in 2026.