By Mark Squibb/October 7, 2021
When Trevor Croft saw the election results for the Town of Witless Bay, he admits he was just as much asleep as awake.
“I was half asleep, so I didn’t even know if I was awake or dreaming, or what exactly was going on,” he laughed.
Croft can hardly be blamed for feeling sleepy — it was well after 2 a.m. when the results were finally released.
“I’m pretty sure I aged 10 years in a couple of hours,” said Croft. “I’m pretty sure I went gray and everything. It was extremely stressful, just waiting and waiting and waiting… It’s like when you’re a kid trying to go to sleep on Christmas night — it doesn’t happen no matter how much you try.”
In the end, he commended staff for taking the time to make sure things were done right.
Out of the 13 candidates who put their names forward, Croft amassed 520 votes, the most of any of them.
According to the Town’s election document, 684 people cast ballots in Witless Bay, meaning that 76 per cent of residents ticked his name on their ballot.
“I was a bit shocked,” admitted Croft, who chalked up his success at the polls to good old fashioned legwork.
He knocked a number of doors on his own, and him and fellow candidate Alex Troake, who was also elected to council, teamed up to knock doors.
“Ninety percent of the people that we talked to wanted basic things — speedbumps, new stop signs, simple stuff like that,” said Croft. “Even the high tax base that we have in out town right now, a lot of people said they don’t care how high the taxes are as long as they can see their tax dollars going towards something good for the town. I think that really helped, just us going door to door asking people exactly what their issue was. Some people lived in town their whole lives and they never had somebody from council knock on their door.”
Residents in Witless Bay of course voted in a whole new slate of council members.
Croft said the group of seven collectively were amazed to have all gotten in.
“We were all shocked, every single one of us,” he said. “I’m still amazed that all seven of us got in like that. It’s crazy.”
He said that residents have long desired change in the council chambers, and that the election was proof of that.
“We’ve been waiting for change for a long time,” said Croft. “It’s nice to see people get out and support change.”
He said the 2022 budget and snow clearing contracts will likely be some of the new council’s first items.
Ragged Beach is also an issue that Croft said council should look into — eventually.
“It affects two percent of the population in town, and we really need to move away from Ragged Beach and bring the rest of the town into the light that it deserves as well. But we definitely need to address that issue,” said Croft.
Overall, Croft said he is excited for the future, and believes the town to be in good hands.
“We are a good group of people, with a lot of different backgrounds,” said Croft. “I think it’s going to work out phenomenal for the town, I really do.”
As to the six who ran but did not get elected, including four members of the previous council, Croft said there ought to be no bad blood between the two groups.
“There’s definitely no bad blood between us, and I’d like to keep us that way. I‘d like to be able to support everybody in this town and what they stand for.”
