By Stephen Dafoe

Legal – Residents will take to the polls in Legal Dec. 3 to fill two council seats, those left vacant by Phil Hughes and Albert St. Jean. Hughes was forced to resign due to Municipal Government Act regulations regarding attendance at council meetings; St. Jean resigned Tuesday morning due to residency requirements under the same act. St. Jean will move into his new home in Sturgeon County and will no longer meet the residency requirement.

St. Jean had previously stepped down as mayor to allow his successor an opportunity to learn the mayoral ropes while he was still on Council. That successor, Mayor Lisa Magera, was reappointed mayor during Legal Council’s organizational meeting Monday night.

The mayor said because Legal Council is a five-member council it was necessary under the Municipal Government Act to hold a by-election. “We set our by-election date for December 3rd,” Magera said. “We’re still working on back dates for nominations. We will have a whole new face on Council.”

She praised St. Jean for his work on Legal Council over the years. “Albert was there for eight years,” she said. “He was a great leader and a great mentor to us new councillors. He’s seen a lot of new councillors come through and a lot of things that have happened: the skate park, the gazebo. A lot of community things happened under his leadership. He leaves some big shoes to fill.”

Magera said St. Jean moves into his new home Nov. 1. She praised the former mayor and councillor for sticking around right until the end.

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