Manitobans will head to the polls on October 24th.

For majority of the province, it will be the first time electing new mayors, Reeves, councillors and school trustees since October 22, 2014. But for ratepayers in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, this will be their second time going to the polls in 15 months.

In the spring of 2017, Ritchot Mayor Jackie Hunt and Councillors Jeannot Robert and Ron Mamchuk resigned due to name calling and belligerent behaviour at the council table. This led to council being dissolved due to lack of quorum and the election of a new council on July 19, 2017.

(Jeannot Robert)Now, one year later, another election campaign is underway. And, three of the four incumbent councillors have announced their intentions to run for another term. The exception is Ward 3 Councillor Jeannot Robert. After eight years as councillor, he has announced this will be his last. Robert says he has enjoyed his time on council and it has been a great learning experience, but it is time to move on. Robert adds he would like to do more travelling with his wife.

In Ward 1, Shane Pelletier has decided to run for re-election. Pelletier is wrapping up his first year on council, claiming the seat in last year's by-election. He says being a councillor is a great opportunity to serve the community he grew up in, Ile des Chenes. Pelletier says it was not a difficult decision to run again, noting he has the full support of his family.

"It's been a quick year," says Pelletier. "I think we've done our job with honesty and integrity in everything we've done up till this point. That's what makes me proud of where we're at."

If re-elected, Pelletier says he hopes to see the completion of their Main Street revitalization projects in the communities of Ile des Chenes, Ste. Agathe and St. Adolphe.

Over in Ward 2, Ron Mamchuk is wrapping up his first full term on council. He says there are so many projects on the go right now that he wants to see them through to the end. One such project is the Tourond Creek housing development. With future potential for 1,400 homes, Mamchuk says to attract people of all ages, they need green space in the area, including soccer pitches and baseball diamonds as well as walking paths.

According to Mamchuk, the first term on council is about getting your feet wet.

"The first four years is like a learning curve," he says. "I learned a lot and I figure that I can contribute a lot to the RM plus the community of St. Adolphe."

Further to that, he says right now Ritchot has a very good council in place, including the mayor and fellow councillors.

And finally, in Ward 4, Janine Boulanger will attempt to win her second election in 15 months. Boulanger admits before becoming councillor, she didn't like politics.

"One of the reasons I ran in the first place was to see how things are done," she says. "I've been pleasantly surprised by how much the residents actually matter to them, contrary to popular belief, it's really not about collecting taxpayers' money."

Boulanger says her platform for the October 24th election is the same as it was for the by-election last July.

"To listen to the people and to follow through with all their concerns," she says. "I've been able to work with several residents within my ward, especially in Howden to look at their concerns that they have had over the years but never been able to get answers to."

She would also like to see a Facilities Manager hired in Ritchot to take the burden off volunteers who look after the municipality's parks, rinks and halls.

Boulanger says one of her greatest accomplishments as councillor was finalizing plans for a multi-use pathway in Grande Pointe. She notes there was tremendous local support for this and it will be built without raising taxes. Boulanger expects it to be completed by the end of August.

Boulanger says it has been a good experience serving the residents of Ward 4. She admits the early learning curve was quite overwhelming but says it would be a waste to now step down and force someone else to go through that same process.

Meanwhile, Ritchot Mayor Chris Ewen announced back in May that he too will run for re-election.

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Ewen Seeks Second Term