Mayor Rod Perkins plans to sit back and relax

By Joan Janzen

As election day draws near, Mayor Rod Perkins is getting closer to enjoying a more relaxed day-to-day experience. After eight years of dedicated service, he has decided to step down.

“I’m 78; it’s probably time to bow out. I’d love to say I’m going to miss it, but it’s probably time to move on,” he said.

During his tenure there were far too many accomplishments to list, but  he mentioned the on-going water main replacement project will be completed within a month’s time. Overall, he noted Council had pushed forward every year, encountering very few problems along the way.

“We’ve had a pretty experienced crew for the past few years who are pretty familiar with what has to happen,” he said. “And we’ll have four or five experienced people after the elections. It’s pretty much business as usual until then.”

He takes pride in what they’ve accomplished, knowing it was a job well done that can be passed on to the next elected officials to continue. “It’s been a pretty seamless transition throughout my eight years,” he observed.

Most of all he’s enjoyed the contacts he’s made, while dealing with the problems at hand and working with a great crew. “It’s so much simpler if you have people that are on the same page,” he said.

As for what is next on the agenda, Mayor Perkins doesn’t have any big plans. “I watch a lot of my grandkids play hockey; that keeps me pretty busy. I might get involved in a not-for-profit organization; everyone’s looking for volunteers,” he explained.

“Finding something to do won’t be a problem, but at my age it might be nice to sit back and do very little,” he concluded.

Thanks for all your years of dedicated service. We hope you enjoy life at a more leisurely pace.