Mitchell steps down from city council

Long-time councillor resigns from position, by-election to be held in fall

One of the veteran voices on Moose Jaw city council has decided to resign his position in support of his family. Coun. Don Mitchell – who has been involved in civic politics since 1972 – informed council of his decision a little over a month ago, with the meeting on June 25 his final in the position. “It hasn’t been an easy decision, but I think it’s the right one.... I expected to be able to do a full term, but it’s not working out and the timing is right to have a by-election in the fall, the midterm,” Mitchell said. “I appreciated the long history of work I’ve been able to do for city council, but I’ll be around and involved and speaking from the other side of the podium. It’s been a good experience.” Each of the city councillors and Mayor Fraser Tolmie offered Mitchell their thanks at the beginning of the meeting, with many touching comments and observances of their time working alongside him on various projects and committees.

“You’ve left us with the extremely difficult task of thanking you for all your years of service,” said Tolmie. “I remember first meeting you during the 2009 election... we’ve had differing political views and we’ve sometimes not seen eye-to-eye on some issues. But you were open for discussion and could leave things on the table and go for a pint after a night of debate, which I always look forward to.”

Tolmie concluded his comments by acknowledging their shared Scottish heritage and shared an emotional reading of a poem by Robbie Burns -- a Red Red Rose – in honour of Mitchell stepping down to support his wife Martha Tracy. “You’ve made a difficult but honourable decision to step down, and you made this decision out of love. As difficult as it is, you’ve made the right decision to focus on your love,” Tolmie said before reciting the poem and then presenting Mitchell with a painting of city hall.

Mitchell thanked councillors for their kind words and support.

“I’ve been on council for close to 15 years, spread out over the last 30, and it hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been rewarding and a great experience and I’m going to miss it,” he said. “I’ll stay connected with the community and work with the committees I’ve been a part of and give a voice to issues when I have time... (Martha) has provided support for me over the years and it’s my turn now.”