New vibe, candidates fuel election buzz on St. Mary's First Nation

St. Mary's First Nation will elect a chief and 12 band councillors on Tuesday.

Approximately half of St. Mary's population of 1,822 live on the reserve on the north side of Fredericton. It's one of six Wolastoqiyik, or Maliseet, nations on the St. John River.

The five nominated eligible candidates for chief are Randy Brooks, Candice Paul, Shawn Arthur Paul, Allan "Chicky" Polchies Jr., and Donald Paul Sr.,

Fifty-one candidates are running for the 12 available band council positions.

This year's race for chief, according to councillor Penny Polchies, has a "different vibe" than in previous elections.

"People are proudly representing those they are supporting," Polchies said. "Back in the day there was a fear to express who you were voting for — but now people are openly supporting who they want.

"To me, that is empowering our people to know they have a voice."

Evan Sacobie, 34, is a first-time candidate for band council who hopes to represent the concerns of young people on St. Mary's, which according to the most recent available census data, has a median age of 29.

"We have to have a good vision moving forward," Sacobie said. "This election isn't [just] about two years. It's about our community continuing to grow in a positive direction."

Retired manager, police officer

Randy Brooks, 68, a retired retail manager and former police officer with the City of Fredericton, is running for chief a second time after an unsuccessful bid in 2016.

"The biggest issue is to get the people together and try to make that difference," Brooks said. "The people got no voice. I figure I've lived long enough here on the reserve and worked here on the reserve my whole life … I think I'm ready to put back something what I took out of here, so that I can pass it on to our people, and they can be just as successful as I was."  

As chief, he said, he would prioritize better communication between the different groups that live on the First Nation. .

"Most people are treated differently and I want to treat all people equal," Brooks said. "Not only the indigenous people that live here, but the non-natives. Now there are a lot of people who are non-Indian who live on the reserve. They got a lot to say, but they don't say it .... They live here too, so we might as well accept it and try to make things work better that way."

"A lot of people say every year about this time that they want change, but we ain't going to see the change until the last ballot is done — and hopefully that ballot will be mine."

Chief of 14 years reoffering

Incumbent Candice Paul — a vocal advocate of economic development and affordable housing on St. Mary's over her 14 years as chief — is seeking an eighth term.

A lot has changed, Paul said, since she was first elected in 2004.

"We've really concentrated on economic development and concentrated on houses in our community. We chose a five-year period to build 60 homes, and we met that," she said. "A lot of that has been providing homes for our people."

The work isn't done yet.

"We still have a backlog of 200 people, so we still have to build more homes, definitely," she said.

Paul has courted controversy in her most recent term.

In February 2017, Paul and five other Maliseet chiefs signed a multimillion-dollar deal with the provincial government to clear the way for the Sisson mine project — a project Paul has acknowledged most of the Maliseet communities and members historically opposed for its impact on traditional hunting and fishing areas.

In March 2018, charges were laid against Paul's sister Lisa Howe, a long-sitting band councillor and housing director for St. Mary's, for forgery and defrauding the federal government. Howe is seeking re-election to band council.

In a May 2018 open letter, Paul apologized to band members for a lack of clear public communication surrounding a land transfer with the City of Fredericton.  

"There definitely has to be more concentration on communication and accurate information — definitely that will be something that I will be working on when re-elected,' Paul said.

That three band councillors have chosen not to reoffer, according to Paul, ensures Tuesday's vote will bring a fresh perspective to governance.

"There are some great candidates running and people are getting more involved, which is great," she said.

"There will definitely be a change for council. We've been moving forward in the last 14 years, and we will continue to move forward. There are a lot of things on the horizon — new things coming up. We need to be prepared.

"You need to have an experienced voice, an experienced person. I would just say you know, 'hey, bear with me …  we need to work together to continue this work.'"

'Accountability has to be put back'

The election marks a first foray into politics for Shawn Arthur Paul, a 46-year-old father of five.

Paul's platform, he said, rests on the idea that "accountability has to be put back where it belongs."

"I've been paying attention for a long time," he said, citing controversy over the First Nation's land transfer with the city of Fredericton as a major factor in his decision to run.

"The First Nation is all of us, it's not an individual … our band office, our gas bar, our smoke shop, our entertainment centre. I keep saying 'our.' There is no 'I' in team. It's just us."

St. Mary's, Paul said, needs "policies in place that are going to work for us, for the whole community. Not just individuals for personal gain."

Uplifting Wolastoq culture

Widely regarded as a top challenger for the chief's seat is long-time St. Mary's First Nation community planner Allan "Chicky" Polchies Jr.

Polchies, 48, entered politics 12 years ago. He worked for both the late Chief Arthur Bear and for Candice Paul as an assistant before being elected to band council.

For the past decade, he's worked as an event coordinator for St. Mary's, organizing the yearly powwow, the Miss Teen St. Mary's Pageant, and major mural projects with local artists.

"I'm a big advocate for how to champion our Wolastoq culture, and our people, period, to uplift them, and encourage them to do well," Polchies said.

"I'm really proud of my community but we need to take it to another level. I feel with new ideas and inspiration, everyone is excited."

Polchies proudly identifies as "two-spirited" — a term that refers to an Indigenous person who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or otherwise gender non-conforming.

"We have a very diverse community," he said. "Being two-spirited is more of a gift — it's not an issue whether you are two-spirited or not. It's all about what you can do in the community."

A fifth candidate, Donald Paul Sr., is also running for chief.

He could not be reached for comment.

St. Mary's band members will vote Tuesday at the St. Mary's Entertainment Centre on Two Nations Crossing.

Off-reserve voters whose addresses appear on the list provided by the First Nation can vote by mail-in ballot.