By Mark Squibb
A City employee who has taken a leave of absence to campaign is among a group of first-time candidates hoping to find a seat on Mount Pearl council.
Don Kelly has lived in his Mount Pearl his entire life and with wife Wendy raised two children there.
The Civil Engineering Technology Diploma graduate from College of the North Atlantic has worked as a City Inspector for the last 14 years.
“Working with the City has given me great insight into the things I would have to deal with as a councillor, like the National Building Code, Provincial Building Regulations, and the City of Mount Pearl’s Municipal Plan, which is being revised,” said Kelly. “I’m also very familiar with the City’s building regulations and development regulations.”
Kelly said if it comes to it, he’s ready to retire and become a full-time councillor. He is campaigning on the promise of improved infrastructure and roads, fiscal responsibility, and public safety.
“I want to help inspire change, influence policy and ensure the City continues to grow,” he said.
Kelly is chairman of the Mount Pearl Sport Alliance awards committee, a member of the Health Care Foundation Golf Tournament fund raising committee, member and past president of the Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee, and chairman of the Royal St John’s Regatta Hall of Fame Committee. He is also an off-ice official for the Quebec Major Junior League and was a Venue Team Lead for the 2025 Canada Summer Games.
“I’ve always given, and I want to give more,” said Kelly. “It’s a passion of mine to run for council. I guarantee that if you have an issue and you come to me, I’ll discuss it with you, I’ll understand your issue from your perspective, and I’ll bring those concerns forward and get back to you with any solutions that we can. I will be quite transparent and explain to you if it can be done or can’t be done.”
Another political newcomer is Mike Peach.
“I’ve had some friends tell me I should try going into politics, and I said, ‘I don’t know if I could be successful at that,’” said Peach. “Because I have an autism diagnosis, I thought, ‘No way is anyone going to elect an autistic guy for anything.’”
But, said Peach, his friends continued to encourage him, and while at the Summit Centre one day he saw an advertisement for the Make Your Mark campaign, which encouraged folks to put their name forward for council.
“So, I thought, ‘Okay, why not?’” said Peach. “’Let’s see how it goes.’”
Peach is running to represent groups that he feels have been underrepresented at a municipal level.
“My platform is based on raising awareness of neurodiversity, and in general it extends to wanting to provide better representation for underrepresented and marginalized groups,” said Peach. “I want to normalise autistic and neurodivergent people in public office, or at the very least running for public office, and getting their name out there and giving some reassurance or some hope to kids, or to their parents, that might be struggling.”
Peach is studying education at Memorial University and has been tutoring other students for the last 15 years.
“My social and educational advocacy, and getting the message and the awareness out there is the main objective for my running, and I'll continue to do it regardless of the outcome of the election,” said Peach. “If people like that message and want to support it with their vote, or if I can bring up an issue that's important to them but they haven't seen represented in local political discourse, I'm giving them that option… I would hope that people, when selecting the council members they want to vote for, even if it’s not me, think about who would make the best, most well-rounded council.”
Also on the ballot is newcomer Bailey Rempel.
Rempel, who hails from Saskatchewan, has worked for a number of construction companies over the years and is the Eastern Canada district manager of Peter Kiewit & Sons.
“Mount Pearl is our home — we work here, my kids go to school here, we play sports here… and you really start to take an interest in your home,” she said of her decision to run.
A major concern Rempel would like to see addressed is community safety.
Rempel’s husband, Shem Evans, was one of two victims of random violence by youths last year.
He was attacked by a youth armed with a baseball bat as he was picking their two daughters up from school at Morris Academy.
Council has since drafted a community safety plan that is expected to be released soon.
Rempel said it’s time to put that plan to work.
“We are hearing at the doors that people are worried about their safety still,” said Rempel. “Nothing has changed. And for myself, this is not just a campaign slogan. We need to look at this issue and tackle it from multiple sides. And it can’t get pushed down the road. It needs to happen now.”
Traffic congestion and road safety are another major concern.
“I’m fighting the same intersections every day as everyone else,” said Rempel. “There’s got to be a better way, and maybe I can help. I come from a construction background and so I’m used to looking at pretty complex issues and coming up with an action plan and quickly working to resolve issues, and I’m hoping I can bring that to council.”
When not working or campaigning, Rempel said she’s spending time outside with her family.
“I have a track record of speaking up for people and getting things done,” said Rempel. “Mount Pearl residents are ready for a little bit of a change. Maybe getting someone in new that hasn’t been elected once, twice, or even more, is going to bring in a new perspective, or a new zest for getting things done. Once people get talking to me and hear about my work history, there’s a pretty good response.”
Candidate Susan Pearcey ran in the 2021 election, narrowly missing a spot on council.
“Coming so close I definitely wanted to give it another try,” said Pearcey, arguing that council could benefit from having younger voices around the table.
Through both her career and her volunteer work, Pearcey is especially tuned into the City’s student population.
She has taught at O’Donel High School since 2006 and has held several roles with Mount Pearl Minor Hockey over the years, including team manager, Special Events Director, and elected member of the board of directors. Through Mount Pearl Minor Hockey she created the Big Give Food Drive, which raises about $12,000 annually for local food banks. She has also served on the Frosty Festival Board of Directors and Newton and O’Donel school councils and is the City Liaison for the Focus on Youth Awards.
She said that every year she sees students graduate and then have to leave Mount Pearl to pursue their work. She would like to see more industries, such as the tech industry, encouraged to set up shop in Mount Pearl.
“I think there needs to be a voice on council who is tuned in to the younger generation,” said Pearcey. “We need the young people to stay in Mount Pearl.”
While out on the campaign trail, she said residents have expressed concerns about traffic and speeding, and that some younger families have said that parks and playgrounds are not as well maintained as they could be. Graffiti, added Pearcey, continues to be a problem in community spaces.
The other candidates running for Mount Pearl council – Bill Antle, Isabelle Fry, Nicole Kieley, Chelsea Lane, Jim Locke, Mark Rice and Wanda Tiller – were all profiled in previous editions of The Pearl News and The Shoreline.
Susan Pearcey
Bailey Rempel
Don Kelly
Mike Peach