In 1983, Elsie E. Wayne (1932-2016) became the first female mayor of the City of Saint John, and became extremely popular. She served three terms as Mayor, from 1983 to 1993. In the 1993 federal election, she ran as the governing Progressive Conservative Party’s candidate in the riding of Saint John-Rothesay. In this election, the Tories suffered the worst ever defeat for a governing party at the federal level in Canada. Wayne was one of only two Tories elected nationwide, the other being Jean Charest.

Come forward to 2025, and there are four women Mayors in the greater Saint John area: Donna Noade-Reardon, Mayor of the City of Saint John; Brittany Merrifield, Mayor of the Town of Grand Bay-Westfield; Nancy Grant, Mayor of the Town of Rothesay; & Libby O’Hara, Mayor of the Town of Quispamsis.

Source Bernard Cormier