Fred Hutton has been elected as the MHA for Conception Bay-East Bell Island.
Hutton garnered 2,603 votes. PC candidate Tina Neary comes in second with 2,152 votes, NDP candidate Kim Churchill takes third with 846 and independent-Conservative Darryl Harding received 70 votes.
Hutton, surrounded by family, friends, and supporters at Landings Eatery and Pub at the Portugal Cove ferry terminal, welcomed the news.
And the final votes are in. The room erupts with cheers as Conception Bay East-Bell Island turns red for the first time in two decades #nlpoli pic.twitter.com/6vrlIg0BN3
— VOCM News (@VOCMNEWS) January 31, 2024
Hutton calls getting elected a surreal moment. He says it hasn’t hit him yet that he is an elected official, believing that will come when he is participating in the legislature rather than watching it from afar.
Hutton says he heard a lot at the doors. In Paradise, they want to see movement on infrastructure and a new school; in Portugal Cove, health care was top of mind—particularly bringing a clinic back to the community. For Bell Island, the ferry was the biggest issue.
Premier Andrew Furey says on the latter, there will be some movement in the coming days He says they heard a lot about the need for a shore-based manager for the ferry. He says government will be advertising for that position in the coming days.
Hutton succeeds David Brazil, who stepped down in December after 13 years as MHA—including a stint as interim leader of the party, to focus on his health.
The victory marks a significant political shift in the district, which has been a PC stronghold for two decades since the late Dianne Whalen was elected in 2003.
