Nicole Kieley proved to be a favourite in Mount Pearl once again, earning the largest share of votes this most recent municipal election, as she also did in the 2021 municipal election. Kieley earned 3,859 votes this time around. In second was councilor Jim Locke, with 3,552 votes. Kieley said that the re-election of all incumbents shows that the work this council has done over the last four years has resonated with residents.
By Mark Squibb
Nicole Kieley, along with a full slate of incumbents, has been re-elected to Mount Pearl city council.
Kieley earned more votes than any other candidate in this most recent election, a feat she also accomplished in the 2021 election, when she first put her name forward for council.
“I think this time around, it was even more important, because the results were directly tied to what I had brought, and contributed, and how I served, in my role as a councillor,” said Kieley. “The results were a validation of where council is going as a team, and what I contribute.”
Kieley added the result was a validation of her contributions as councillor during what has been a very tumultuous term personally. In the spring of 2023, she was struck and pinned by a vehicle outside a Shoppers Drug Mart in St. John’s. Because of the accident, her left leg was amputated above the knee. A year to the date of the accident, Kieley made a return to council chambers and her role as deputy mayor.
The re-election of incumbents, rather than the selection of fresh faces, said Kieley, is a good indicator of the trust residents have placed in the current iteration of council.
“It demonstrates that the works and efforts, and programs and projects and what we are focusing on, really speak to residents,” said Kieley. “As a council, I think what we do best is to ensure that we offer healthy debate and that we make sure that all views and perspectives are shared respectfully around the table, and that there’s an evidence-based type of decision making.”
If you compare the 2021 and 2025 results, you’ll see that each incumbent – with the exception of Bill Antle and Mark Rice, who swapped spots in the polls – finished in the same order in 2025 as they did in 2025. First came Kieley, followed by Jim Locke, Isabelle Fry, and Chelsea Lane. In 2021 Bill Antle finished ahead of Mark Rice, but in 2025 Rice managed to pull ahead of Antle by just a few votes.
Mayor Dave Aker, who ran a successful campaign against fellow mayoral candidate Roy Locke in 2021, was acclaimed to council this time around.