A Northwestern Ontario political icon is calling it a day.
Greenstone Mayor Michael Power on Wednesday announced he won’t seek another term in office, though he won’t be sitting still for long, he promised.
Power, 68, cited his wife’s ailing health and the need for new blood at the top as the community morphs from a primarily forestry-based economy into one dominated by the mining sector.
"It’s time for a new vision, new thinking and new perspectives to come forward. Greenstone is entering a very challenging time. A wonderful opportunity is presenting itself to Greenstone, in terms of the mining economy," said Power, who served nearly 30 years combined as mayor of Geraldton and, after amalgamation, Greenstone. "When I first came to Northern Ontario, mining was a big thing in the old town of Geraldton. It’s going to be again. It’s going to be the saving grace of that area. And we are going to see economic stability and economic development as a result of that."
Power, who was born in Montreal and went to university in Ottawa before emigrating to Geraldton in 1969,spent three terms as head of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and an additional three terms as the president of the Northern Ontario Municipal Association.
He said with the promise of plenty of new faces around the Greenstone town council after the Oct. 25 municipal election, it’s time to move on, despite his uncanny ability to work with councils of all different make-ups over the years.
Still, it’s not an easy decision to walk away, he said.
"Would I like to stick around? You always want to stick around, but there is always a time to move on, and you need to realize, I have given, I have done what I can. I’ve worked with a group of people. We’ve achieved a lot together. It’s time for somebody else and put themselves forward to achieve it," Power said, before boarding a flight to Toronto.
Power’s wife, Marilyn, has spent the past three months in hospital, following a June car accident that saw their vehicle roll into a ditch near Stoddard Township.
He said he owes it to his wife to spend a little more time close to home.
"She’s had a very rough time since our automobile accident in June. She’s had a rough time for many years with her health. It’s been very, very difficult the last three months. She’s still in hospital. She stood by me and with me for three decades," Power said, his voice cracking slightly. "I owe something back to her. I owe her time, and I owe her strength and I owe her the companionship that she allowed me to give to all of Northwestern Ontario and to all of Ontario."
Asked to pinpoint his proudest accomplishment as mayor, Power said there’s so much good that’s happened that it’s almost impossible to pick out one.
"But I will tell you that one of the things that I was criticized most for, but I think was the most important decision we ever made, was amalgamation. It was an amalgamation that brought together communities in the Greenstone areas. It meant we could pay the bills. We could afford to pay for the services that our citizens wanted and they deserved," Power said. "But we couldn’t do it without the amalgamation, without the pipeline taxation assessment."
He went on to say that almost 50 cents of every dollar spent by the municipality comes from pipeline taxation, allowing a community of 4,800 to have four arenas and curling clubs and daycare centres.
Regrets? He’s had a few, but his biggest is one he had no control over, the collapse of the forest industry that decimated not only Greenstone, but much of Northwestern Ontario.
Power said he’s got plenty of work to do before his final term ends in November, and is open to new opportunities to fill his days after it’s over.
"Would I be willing to serve in another capacity? I will look at any offer, any suggestion, because I’m not going to sit still, but I’m going to continue to work for my own community and for Northwestern Ontario. That will never stop."
