With a combined 62 years of experience in municipal politics, the outgoing mayor and three councillors had a chance to share a few words with town management and their re-elected fellow councillors during their final meeting Monday night.
Making up a large portion of that experience on his own was Coun. Deane Cunningham, who has served a total of 26 years on 11 different town councils, including a stint as mayor from 1981-85.
“I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had two lives on council, and I would really like to thank the taxpayers of Fort Frances for their support,” said the man whom Mayor Glenn Witherspoon affectionately called “Grampa.”
“I had the privilege of serving as a member of council for nine years with Coun. [Roy] Avis’ father as mayor. I really felt Al Avis was a mentor of mine,” remarked Coun. Cunningham.
“I ran for council when I was 29 or 30, and I didn’t know much about the council game,” he added. “But I got elected, and I went to West End Motors a lot of times, and asked questions and got solid answers.
“He sure helped me as a young person on council.”
Coun. Cunningham also noted he’s experienced what it’s like to serve one-, two-, and three-year terms as an elected official, and said adapting to changes over the years is “an endless process.”
“One of the highlights of my career, and certainly building the Memorial Sports Centre was another of them, was the building of this building [the Civic Centre],” he said, recalling the town didn’t have a lot of money and that it was tough to convince residents to invest in a new town hall.
But ultimately council made its case when the decision to buy a fire truck came down not to if it would be able to adequately serve the town’s fire protection needs, but whether it fit in the town hall garage door.
“We haven’t had those kinds of challenges lately, but we’ve had challenges,” Coun. Cunningham continued, citing the downloading of social services from the province as one example of the town getting more responsibilities without the corresponding funding.
Coun. Cunningham had filed his nomination papers to run for mayor back on Aug. 14 in hopes of being elected Nov. 10, but then withdrew from the race for health reasons on Sept. 24.
As to what he’ll do now, Coun. Cunningham said with a smile, “My wife’s got a list a mile long.”
Mayor Witherspoon said he will be dedicating the same energies he did towards his municipal political career into his family and businesses now, but will miss being an elected official just the same.
“My 18 years of being in this room have just flown by, and I thank everybody who made it so special,” the mayor said. “It’s been a blast.”
Mayor Witherspoon also offered his best wishes to the incoming council of Mayor Dan Onichuk, newcomers Tannis Drysdale, Todd Hamilton, and Rick Wiedenhoeft, and incumbents Avis, Struchan Gilson, and Neil Kabel.
“I know with the ambition, direction, and zeal the new council has, our town is in good hands,” he remarked. “I know they all want to move forward and keep this a progressive community we want to live in and raise our children in.”
Coun. Dave Bourgeault, who has sat on council for the past six years, said the job has been made easier thanks to the good work of the town staff, adding he’ll also miss sitting in at the meeting table with his fellow councillors.
“It’s truly an honour serving the people who put their trust in me. I’ll miss the camaraderie, the laughing, the serious discussions—everything we have to go through as councillors,” he remarked.
“I remember taking the orientation six years ago and thinking, ‘My goodness, what have I gotten myself into?’” he laughed. “There has been ups, there has been downs. We don’t always agree, we’ve had our differences.
“We’ve battled back and forth as councillors, but it was all for the betterment of the community.”
He noted one of his career highlights was seeing the addition of the Ice for Kids Arena and the expansion of the Memorial Sports Centre, though one endeavour he fought for but never really happened was the cleaning up of the west entrance to town.
Coun. Sharon Tibbs, who spent the past 12 years on council and ran for mayor against Onichuk in the Nov. 10 election, chose not to offer any parting comments.
The newly-elected council will be sworn during a special meeting Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
