MUN student almost youngest mayor

On Oct. 12, Memorial University student Kurtis Coombs came a name-draw away from being Canada’s youngest mayor. The 19-year-old said he was able to successfully balance schoolwork and his campaign while running for leadership of Paradise, N.L.

 

The initial vote count after Sept. 29 election showed Coombs had won by three votes over incumbent Ralph Wiseman. Subsequent municipal and judicial recounts revealed a tie. In accordance with provincial law, a draw of the candidates’ names resolved the issue and resulted in Wiseman’s re-election. He was sworn into office Oct. 13.

 

Coombs said he is unhappy with the Municipal Elections Act and plans to challenge it in the province’s Supreme Court. He said the “archaic” system of drawing names violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and criticized it for leaving the creation of the government up to chance. “What’s next?” he asked. “Are we going to be choosing names of the country’s leaders out of hats?”

 

Mayor Wiseman was unavailable for comment.

 

Coombs is a second-year political science major at Memorial. Although his political opponents argued he was too young to run Paradise effectively, Coombs said his age did not matter.

 

“Just because someone’s 19 years old doesn’t mean they don’t have the life experience, the intelligence, or don’t know the issues,” he said.

 

He said at a time when people question whether there are any real leaders left, Canadians should “give the younger generation a shot.” 

 

Coombs decided to run for mayor after discovering there were no other candidates running against Wiseman. He said he is concerned about inadequate infrastructure in Paradise, which is the fastest growing city in Atlantic Canada. One of his concerns is the lack of a fire station in a city of 15,000 people, he said.

 

While at university, Coombs was breaking records even before going on the campaign trail. He was the youngest president of Model United Nations Society in its 20-year history. He was also involved in the creation of the Mount Pearl Public Speaking and Debate Alliance. According to his campaign page on Facebook, Coombs also won numerous awards for his academics. Coombs said he felt particularly honoured when he received the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year by the Mount Pearl City Chamber of Commerce.

 

“I put a lot of hard work into it,” he said.

 

Coombs credited his extra-curricular involvement for improving his skills necessary for his campaign’s success. He said debating is important to “be able to articulate yourself a little bit better than you otherwise would.”

Although Coombs said it was a challenge to juggle campaigning and schoolwork, he said he felt he succeeded in running a positive campaign. He described the moment when he learned he had, surprisingly, received more votes than Wiseman as “phenomenal, if nothing else.”

 

He said he would have managed his studies and mayoral responsibilities with equal success.

 

Coombs said he encourages other young, aspiring politicians to become involved in their communities.

 

“That’s democracy,” he said, “[Running for public office] shouldn’t be cut off by age.”