The Town of Saint Andrews has a new mayor in the chair following the resignation of Brad Henderson, which he announced back in April.
Acting Mayor Kate Akagi assumed the role of mayor at Monday’s council meeting. She was a retired teacher after nearly 30 years in the education system and was also the recipient of the Order of New Brunswick in November 2024.
Akagi said Henderson asked her to meet with him, never imagining he’d tell her he was stepping down and ask her to take the gavel.
“But I’m very proud to be doing it. And very honoured to be doing it,” she said in an interview with The Courier.
Akagi will serve about 11 months. No byelection was held for the position as a general election is scheduled to be called in May 2026.
According to the 2021 census, there are a little more than 2,000 people in Saint Andrews, with the summer months bringing in thousands of tourists and summer residents to the region.
Akagi has been serving as the deputy mayor, helping the council through several critical projects in the last nine years, including an affordable housing project, the purchase of the new ladder truck, and working toward rehabilitating the town’s wharf.
She also volunteers heavily for Charlotte County Dial-A-Ride and collects bags for the local food bank – committed heavily to her community and those who live in it.
“I didn’t take the deputy mayorship lightly, so I’m not going to take the mayorship lightly either,” she said.
The council is looking to reduce its size before the next election, as well as deal with the first insight into fiscal reform for municipalities, and finalize whether it will move forward with a multi-million dollar project for the wharf.
Akagi has a few things on her list to accomplish.
“The big big one: the bylaws. I just want to get that done because, for the next council, it’s difficult. You start in the middle, and I’ve been there when we’ve left things behind for the other councils,” she said.
Akagi is the second female and the first Indigenous mayor of the Town of Saint Andrews.
