It’s not his last day on the job, but in a way tonight is the end of an era in Quinte West.
Tonight is the last regular council meeting before the election is held on October 26th, which also makes it the last time that Mayor Jim Harrison will be seated at the Council table before you know who will be in his chair after the new council is sworn in.
The nature of politics is change but it will be very odd to think of Quinte West Council meeting without Jim Harrison at the table.
First elected way back in 1990, several years before amalgamation, Harrison has been a staple of the local political scene since before I moved here in 1993.
When four local communities merged to form Quinte West, when there were transitions in the local police force and fire operations, when major new projects like the marina and the YMCA went from ideas to reality, when TMH was under the microscope with service changes, and as the entire region grew and tore down our walls to form larger partnerships and encourage greater economic prosperity, Jim Harrison was there to help oversee it all.
Fiercely proud of his educational and farming background, he is well known for his extensive knowledge of all parts of the municipality, his no-nonsense approach and his signature catch-phrase.
More than that, though, I will miss our early morning chats (as he was one of the only people on messenger at 5:15 am), his straightforward way of cutting right to the heart of the matter without political doublespeak, and the way he so fiercely loves the community he calls home.
Everyone knows that when he says “Quinte West is the best!”, that Jim means it with every fibre of his being. Soon, we shall see if the next person to carry the torch as Mayor can be half as passionate and proud to hold it high for all to see.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
