Having sat on Oliver town council for the past 16 years, it was a teary goodbye for mayor Ron Hovanes.
He was defeated at the Oct. 20 municipal election by Martin Johansen by 160 votes.
“Nobody goes onto town council, or any council, without the intent of hopefully leaving the community in a little better place than they found it when you took over. I can say, without a doubt, that over the 16 years there has been many things that have taken place that I believe made a better community for our children and grandchildren and for those that are moving here,” said Hovanes at his last council meeting on Tuesday.
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Hovanes thanked the town employees for their hard work and his family for allowing him to take time away from them to give back to Oliver. Hovanes also had light-hearted moments during the meeting, noting that he won the student vote in the mock election at the school when it was brought up by another councillor that they had been visiting the students to talk about elections. He also offered words of advice for those taking over as mayor and council.
“For those of us leaving we are handing over something pretty special, so don’t screw it up,” he said.
Larry Schwartzenberger is one of the council members that was re-elected and thanked his fellow councillors for working with him over the years.
“I can say without hesitation they all contributed to the betterment of our community during this time on council. I consider them my friends and I really wish them the very best in the next chapter of their lives,” he said.
Maureen Doerr, who was one of three council members not re-elected, choked back tears as she gave her final report.
“I will miss having the opportunity to be part of the change and growth that I hope will continue to happen in this community. To my fellow council members, you have the torch to carry on don’t let me down,” said Doerr, who listed the revitalization of emergency social services as one of her biggest accomplishments as a councillor.
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Returning to the council table is Petra Veintimilla, Schwartzenberger, David Mattes and water councillor Rick Machial. New to council is Aimee Grice, mayor-elect Johansen and water councillor Parminder Sidhu.
Before the meeting started Hovanes made a presentation to long-time Town of Oliver employee, Linda Schultz. She was an employee for 18 years and was also at her last meeting.
“We always strive to have the best front counter experience for customers coming to the front counter of town hall and I think Linda sets a huge example for that,” said Hovanes.
In the 18 years she worked for the town, she did not take one sick day.
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