Deep River Reeve Glenn Doncaster is proof positive that politicians don’t necessarily have a limited shelf life.
First elected to town council when the Internet was in its infancy, Doncaster was honoured by his peers last week for 25 years of dedicated service to the community.
“It’s a length of service that is quite astonishing and quite rare in municipal government and, in fact, any level of government,” Mayor Sue D’Eon remarked at a special ceremony honouring the reeve prior to last week’s meeting of town council.
Doncaster’s tenure in politics actually goes back farther than 25 years, as he was first elected to council back in 1997, and had served on the town’s municipal recreation committee prior to that.
Following his 1997 election, Doncaster served 13 consecutive years on council, including two terms as the municipality’s deputy mayor.
After taking a four-year break from politics, during which he spent some quality time with his wife Sue and their two young kids, he returned to the council table in 2014, and hasn’t left since, serving as the town’s representative on county council in his capacity as reeve and, in turn, the county’s representative on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
“Glenn’s always had the best interests of the community in the decisions he makes,” Mayor D’Eon said, prior to presenting him with certificates of appreciation from the town, MPP Billy Denault, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Robert Flack, and even Prime Minister Mark Carney, with one from Premier Doug Ford on the way.
The ceremony was a surprise to the reeve, and with his family in council chambers for the occasion, he spoke humbly of the accolades, expressing optimism for the future of the municipality.
“We have a whole lot of development coming our way,” he said.
“We’ve got growth. There’s lots of opportunities happening. The future of our community is very bright. It’s different today even than what it was 10 years ago.”
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