By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
In the Aug. 25 municipal by-election in Bury, Quebec, long-time resident and former town employee Russell Perkins secured his place as a new councillor, winning with 47.5 per cent of the vote. Perkins, who has been a staple in the community for over 50 years, ran on a platform of reducing municipal expenses and was the clear choice for many voters who shared his concerns about the town’s spending.
Election results and turnout
According to Elections Quebec, the voter turnout for the election was 24.62 per cent, with 240 valid votes cast from the 979 registered electors. Perkins garnered 114 votes, beating out his nearest competitor, Sandy Lalancette, who received 67 votes (27.92 per cent). Michael Coleman finished third with 49 votes (20.42 per cent), and Samantha Brooks followed with 10 votes (4.17 per cent).
“I did get a pretty good bunch of votes,” said Perkins in a Sept. 4 interview. “I didn’t get quite 50 per cent, but almost.”
This election marked a pivotal moment for the town as Perkins stepped in to fill the vacant seat left by the Alain Villemure, who Perkins said sold his property and moved to the Montreal area. As this was a by-election, Perkins will serve until the town’s next regular election in the fall of 2025.
Perkins’ background and motivation for running
Perkins, a lifelong resident of the Eastern Townships, brings over 42 years of experience working for the town of Bury, including 17 years as a foreman and 40 years with the fire department. His deep ties to the community and firsthand knowledge of municipal operations were key reasons he decided to run for councillor.
“I’ve been around. I’ve worked for the town for 42 years, and I was the foreman for 17 of those. I’ve run all the machinery, so I hope I can do something. I don’t know if I can or not, but expenses are getting pretty high, and I sure would like to see them come down a little bit,” Perkins shared.
Perkins’ campaign focused on addressing what he sees as unnecessary expenditures in the town’s budget. He expressed particular concern about costly projects, including upgrades to the town’s sewer system, which he acknowledged are necessary but expensive. “It seemed to me they were spending an awful lot of money on stuff that maybe we didn’t need right away,” he explained.
His pragmatic approach to budgeting was well-received by many residents. During the campaign, he distributed flyers outlining his concerns about the town’s financial situation, which resonated with voters. “Some people called me and said, ‘Thank you for sending that, Russell, because we didn’t even know there was an election.'”
