There was a fair amount of emotion present as the members of District of Clearwater’s present town council held their last official meeting on Tuesday evening.
“The legacy of this group is excellence,” said Mayor John Harwood. “This group has been the foundation builders. They’ve been dedicated, committed, and never afraid to work.”
The mayor noted that from now on the councilors would be able to say, as they travel around town, “I was part of that, and I was part of that too.”
Harwood said that the District has at least 22 projects presently ongoing for the next council to carry on with.
“It’s been a great journey we’ve been on,” said councilor Stephanie Teare. “We’ve had a lot of fun and we’ve really grown together.”
“The lasts four years have been a huge learning curve for me,” said Christy Dobi. She congratulated the mayor on his election victory, as well as the new council members. She also thanked the unsuccessful candidates for running.
Candus Graffunder said she was glad to see several members of the new council in the audience. Their presence indicated their interest in their new positions, she felt.
Graffunder noted that the only member of the old council not present, Bert Walker, was away because of the birth of a granddaughter.
Ken Kjenstad was the only member of the present council to seek another term as councilor. Brent Buck, Christy Dobi, Stephanie Teare and Candus Graffunder stepped down for personal reasons. All had served since Clearwater’s incorporation four years ago. Bert Walker had been a councilor for three years, having taken over the seat vacated by Jack Braaksma. Walker ran unsuccessfully against Harwood to be mayor. New members of Clearwater’s town council are Shelley Sim, Jon Kreke, Merlin Blackwell, Gord Heisterman and Barry Banford.