Brad Woodside

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brad Woodside
Mayor of Fredericton, New Brunswick
In office
2004–2016
Preceded byLes Hull
Succeeded byMike O'Brien
In office
1986–1999
Preceded byElbridge Wilkins
Succeeded bySandy DiGiacinto
Personal details
Born
Bradley Stanford Woodside

(1948-10-09) October 9, 1948 (age 75)[1]
Fredericton, New Brunswick

Bradley Stanford Woodside (born October 9, 1948, in Fredericton, New Brunswick) was the mayor of Fredericton, New Brunswick, between 1986 and 1999 and again between 2004 and 2016. Woodside also served as the president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. First elected as a city councillor for Fredericton City Council in 1981, he also served as deputy mayor. In 1986, Woodside was elected Mayor of Fredericton and served eight terms as mayor over the next 30 years, which makes him the longest-serving mayor of Fredericton.[2]

In 1999, Woodside resigned as mayor to run for MLA of the Fredericton North riding (No. 43) for the Liberal party.[3] He lost to Peter Forbes of the Progressive Conservatives.[4] Woodside ran for mayor again in 2004 and won.[5]

As mayor, Woodside promoted information technology in Fredericton, and helped develop information technology infrastructure such as the Fred eZone wireless zone. During his tenure as mayor, music festivals have been promoted in Fredericton including the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, the Country Music Festival, and FredRock. While infill development and sustainability have been priorities of his tenure as mayor, he has also faced controversy over sprawling box-store development in the university woods, a previously protected wooded area.

Woodside received an honorary doctor of laws degree from St. Thomas University in 2011. Eleven professors at the small liberal arts university protested, in part because of his refusal to proclaim Pride Weekend in the 1990s.[6]

In the 2016 municipal election, Woodside was defeated by city councillor Mike O'Brien.[7]

1988 Canadian federal election: Fredericton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Bud Bird 20,494 42.98 -15.87
Liberal Brad Woodside 18,939 39.72 +16.66
New Democratic Allan Sharp 4,922 10.32 -6.89
Confederation of Regions Greg Hargrove 2,755 5.78 Ø
Rhinoceros Chris Fullerton 316 0.66 Ø
Independent Harry Marshall 253 0.53 -0.35
Total valid votes 47,679 100.00

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About Brad". bradwoodside.ca. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  2. ^ Heather Mclaughlin (May 8, 2008). "Woodside stands by his record as mayor". Daily Gleaner. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  3. ^ List of Candidates (Unofficial), June 7 General Election (99/05/21) Archived 2016-04-23 at the Wayback Machine New Brunswick Chief Electoral Officer. News Release. Accessed on May 6, 2015.
  4. ^ 1999 New Brunswick general election. Wikipedia. Accessed on May 6, 2015.
  5. ^ McLaughlin, Heather. "Woodside Wins." The Daily Gleaner, May 13, 2008. Pg. A1.
  6. ^ "STU Profs Protesting Mayor's Honorary Degree". CBC News. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  7. ^ "Mike O'Brien defeats Brad Woodside in Fredericton mayor race". CBC News. May 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.