Build Up St. Stephen with Mark Groleau

Build Up St. Stephen with Mark Groleau Community civics, local government, and public accountability in St. Stephen. Stephen for everyone.

Plain-language explanations, positive discussion, and informed commentary focused on building a stronger St.

05/12/2026

Congrats to our new mayor Steve Backman and councillors.

Thanks to all who trusted me with their vote. May we continue working together to build up our common good.

Thanks for using your voice and your vote for how things go in our next four years in St. Stephen!
05/11/2026

Thanks for using your voice and your vote for how things go in our next four years in St. Stephen!

One idea has stayed with me "behind the scenes" throughout this entire election period.Political thinker Walter Lippmann...
05/11/2026

One idea has stayed with me "behind the scenes" throughout this entire election period.

Political thinker Walter Lippmann wrote that people tend to choose "the public interest" when:
we see clearly,
think rationally,
and behave disinterestedly and benevolently.

In other words:
When we understand problems clearly…
When we think carefully instead of react emotionally…
When we think beyond ourselves…
And when we genuinely want good for one another…
communities make better decisions.

That idea has deeply shaped how I think about local government.

Not politics as teams fighting teams.
Not outrage as a strategy.
Not division as a way forward.

But a community asking together:

What actually serves the common good here?

That’s the spirit I believe St. Stephen is capable of.

And honestly, I’ve seen it already over these last ninety-nine days—in volunteers, nonprofits, service clubs, businesses, neighbours, families, and residents who care deeply about this place and want to build something better together.

That’s the kind of St. Stephen I hope we continue building... long after election day.

05/11/2026

EP 99: The Public Interest Comes First in a Thriving St. Stephen

What is the purpose of local government?

At the deepest level, I believe it is to pursue the public interest—the common good of the whole community.

That final principle has guided this entire campaign and how I think of public life together.

Over the last ninety-nine days, we’ve talked about housing, infrastructure, tourism, business, public safety, homelessness, communication, governance, and trust. But underneath all of those priorities is a deeper question:

How do communities make good decisions together?

In this final reflection before election day, I talk about an idea from political thinker Walter Lippmann that has deeply shaped the way I think about leadership, local government, and community life.

Lippmann wrote that people tend to choose the public interest when four things happen:

We see clearly
We think rationally
We behave disinterestedly
And we act benevolently

That idea connects deeply to the five-step action and communication framework I’ve talked about throughout this campaign:

Understand the problem
Make a plan
Deliberate together
Adapt and adopt
Build

Good government begins with understanding clearly what is actually happening.

That means:

Listening carefully
Gathering information
Bringing the right people to the table
Looking honestly at problems
Learning from other communities
And avoiding decisions driven purely by emotion or reaction

But good leadership also requires something more difficult:
The ability to think beyond ourselves.

Too often politics becomes about teams, factions, personal wins, or “my side” defeating “your side.”

But communities function best when people are willing to step back and ask:
What serves the whole community best?

That does not mean everyone always gets exactly what they want. It means balancing competing needs while keeping the broader public good at the center.

And finally, it requires benevolence.

A healthy community cannot operate entirely from fear, scarcity, resentment, or self-interest.

Communities thrive when people believe:

We can solve problems together
Shared investment matters
Helping one another matters
And building up people is just as important as building infrastructure

That spirit already exists throughout St. Stephen:

In service clubs
In nonprofits
In volunteers
In neighbors helping neighbors
In people quietly carrying the weight of community every day

The role of local government should be to strengthen that spirit—not weaken it.

Throughout this campaign, I have tried to focus not only on projects and policies, but on the kind of culture we want to build together:

More communication
More coordination
More cooperation
More trust
More transparency
And a stronger sense of shared purpose

Because at the end of the day, local government is not just about budgets, bylaws, roads, or buildings.

It is about people.

And the question underneath every decision should always remain:

What serves the public interest? What builds the common good?

👉 Visit https://buildupststephen.ca
to explore the full platform, priorities, and commitments.

🗳️ Election Day is TODAY. Make a plan to vote.

👍 Thank you for following these ninety-nine days of conversations about the future of St. Stephen.

A healthy community needs more than roads, buildings, and budgets.It needs communication. It needs us to build up each o...
05/10/2026

A healthy community needs more than roads, buildings, and budgets.

It needs communication. It needs us to build up each other.

Residents should be able to understand what council is working on, why decisions are being made, and how projects are progressing. And council needs to hear directly from residents about concerns, blind spots, frustrations, and ideas.

That kind of engagement does not happen automatically. It has to become part of the culture of local government.

That’s why I believe in:
Public comment periods
Town halls
Clear updates before and after meetings
Accessible information
And communication in plain language

We are always going to have disagreements in a community. That’s normal. But when communication is open and respectful, we can solve problems together instead of talking past one another.

That’s the kind of St. Stephen I want us building together.

05/10/2026

EP 98: Building Up Two-Way Communication in St. Stephen

Good local government is not just about making decisions.

It is about making sure residents understand what is happening, why decisions are being made, and how they can participate in shaping their community.

That two-way communication between residents and council is one of the final major priorities I believe St. Stephen needs to get right over the next four years.

Too often, frustration with local government grows not simply because people disagree with decisions, but because they feel shut out of the process entirely.

People become frustrated when:

They cannot get answers
They do not understand council decisions
They cannot access information easily
They feel ignored
Or they feel like their concerns disappear into a void

That breakdown in communication slowly erodes trust and community spirit.

A healthier municipality creates a culture where residents can:

Ask questions
Give feedback
Attend meetings
Participate respectfully
Understand how projects move forward
And see where their concerns fit into the bigger picture

One of the biggest things I want to continue bringing to St. Stephen is plain-language communication.

That means:

Explaining agendas before meetings
Breaking down decisions afterward
Making municipal language understandable
Encouraging residents to participate in public comment periods
Helping people understand how local government actually works

Because local government in New Brunswick is not built around one person making decisions alone.

The mayor is one member of council.

Council debates, deliberates, and votes together. Staff and administration then carry out the operational work that council approves.

Understanding that process helps residents engage more constructively and effectively.

I also believe council needs more opportunities for direct resident engagement outside formal meetings.

That includes:

Public comment periods at both Committee of the Whole and regular council meetings
Quarterly mayoral town halls
Ward-level community meetings
Better project updates
More accessible communication online and offline
Clear reporting on priorities and progress

One of the biggest frustrations residents often express is feeling like they are not heard.

And while disagreement will always exist in democracy, communities function better when people feel respected, listened to, and informed.

That includes council members and residents both committing to respectful dialogue, even when conversations become difficult.

Constructive disagreement is healthy.

Personal hostility and confusion are not.

I also want residents to better understand where projects actually stand.

Too often, people only see the final vote without understanding the stages behind the scenes:

Understanding the problem
Building a plan
Public deliberation
Revising and approving
Implementation and construction

Projects move through many stages, and communicating those stages clearly helps residents stay informed and involved.

This is ultimately about building a culture of openness, professionalism, accessibility, and community trust.

Not blind trust.

But a local government that consistently communicates clearly enough that residents can verify what is happening for themselves.

Because strong communities are built not only through infrastructure and investment, but through relationships, communication, and shared confidence in the process itself.

🗳️ Election Day is May 11. Let’s build up St. Stephen together.

Strong local government doesn’t mean everybody always agrees.It means residents understand what’s happening, why decisio...
05/09/2026

Strong local government doesn’t mean everybody always agrees.

It means residents understand what’s happening, why decisions are being made, and where projects actually stand.

People should not have to feel confused or shut out from the process to live in their own community.

That’s why communication matters so much to me.

Clear agendas.
Clear priorities.
Clear updates.
Honest explanations when projects stall or plans change.

And just as importantly, residents need ways to ask questions, give feedback, and stay informed without feeling like they’re hitting a wall.

Trust in local government is built over time through openness, accountability, and consistent communication.

That’s the kind of service I want to bring to St. Stephen.

05/09/2026

EP 97: How Your Next Council Restores Trust in St. Stephen's Local Government

Trust in local government doesn't come from slogans or promises. It comes from residents understanding what their council is doing, why decisions are being made, and how projects are moving forward.

That’s why restoring trust and transparency is one of the final major priorities I believe St. Stephen needs to get right over the next four years.

Over the past two years of attending council meetings, reading agendas, studying bylaws, and following local governance closely, one thing became increasingly clear to me:

People can disagree with decisions and still trust their government.

But when people feel confused, shut out, or left in the dark about how decisions are being made, frustration grows quickly.

And that frustration has been building in St. Stephen.

This is not about expecting everyone to agree all the time. Democracy will always involve disagreement. Council members will disagree with each other. Residents will disagree with council. And sometimes difficult decisions will still need to be made.

But disagreement works best when people understand:

What problem is being solved
What the plan actually is
How decisions are being made
Who is responsible for what
And where a project currently stands

That’s why one of the biggest things I want to bring to local government is clarity.

Not “trust me.”
Verify, then trust.

A trustworthy local government should be transparent enough that residents can verify what is happening for themselves.

That means:

Better communication
Easier access to information
Clear explanations after council decisions
More public understanding of how projects move forward
Better accountability between council, staff, and administration

One of the biggest misunderstandings in local government is how the governance structure actually works.

Council decides the “what.”
Municipal administration carries out the “how.”

Council sets priorities, passes bylaws, approves budgets, and makes policy decisions based on resident feedback and long-term planning.

The CAO and municipal staff are then responsible for implementing those decisions operationally.

That distinction matters because accountability matters.

Another major part of rebuilding trust is making sure the mayor actually fulfills the role defined under the Government of New Brunswick Local Governance Act:

Leading council meetings effectively
Bringing leadership to council
Communicating with residents
Coordinating with staff and administration
Advocating for the municipality
Ensuring council works together productively

I also want to bring a much clearer decision-making framework to council itself.

That means moving projects through understandable stages:

Understand the problem
Make a plan
Deliberate publicly
Adapt and adopt the plan
Build and execute

That process may sound simple, but too often residents only see the final vote without understanding all the work, planning, revisions, and discussions behind it.

A healthier local government is one where residents can actually follow the process.

And finally, communication itself has to improve.

Residents should be able to:

Understand agendas
Access documents
Know what projects are priorities
Receive updates on progress
Ask questions
Understand delays and setbacks honestly

The goal is not blind trust.

The goal is a council and mayor’s office that consistently earns trust through transparency, communication, accountability, and competence.

Because strong communities are not built only through roads, buildings, and infrastructure.

They are also built through confidence in the institutions that serve them.

👉 Visit https://buildupststephen.ca

to learn more about priorities and what comes next.

🗳️ Election Day is May 11. Let’s build up St. Stephen together.

👍 Like, comment, and follow for daily updates as each priority is released.

Communities don’t solve homelessness by pretending it isn’t there.And they don’t solve it by leaving people stuck in per...
05/08/2026

Communities don’t solve homelessness by pretending it isn’t there.

And they don’t solve it by leaving people stuck in permanent emergency mode either.

The places that are making progress are the places building actual systems:
Housing
Health supports
Addictions treatment
Public safety
Clear expectations
And real pathways forward

That’s what interests me about bridge housing and transitional supports. Not because they magically solve everything overnight, but because they create structure, accountability, and stability where chaos has taken over.

A healthier downtown, safer public spaces, better outcomes for businesses, and better outcomes for people in crisis are all connected.

St. Stephen can do this right. But it takes coordination, resolve, and a willingness to move beyond short-term emergency responses toward long-term solutions.

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