Thanks and well wishes for changing Berwick council faces

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

Outgoing Berwick Councillor Richard Horsburgh left council chambers Nov. 13 with his first dinner courtesy of the town - a gift card from Swiss Chalet.

“Your sense of humour was always welcome, but you always had one complaint: you never had a dinner,” Mayor John Prall said. “We’re going to fix that.”

Prall extended the thanks of council and the town to Horsburgh, who did not reoffer in the October 18 elections after eight years on council.

“From the start, he’s always been concerned about the financial health of the town, our development of roads and sidewalks and he always lobbied to have more.”

Prall said Horsburgh often drove around Berwick looking at paving and sidewalk projects “slated to be done, and that they were done properly.

“He was very conscientious.”

Horsburgh served on most town committees through his two terms, and Prall thanked him for well-thought out presentations to council. he cited in particular Horsburgh’s representation at Valley Solid Waste committee meetings.

“Anything that affected the town, we knew about it.”

Prall also thanked Horsburgh for “adopting” the town hall garden, bringing up his own mower when the grass got too tall.

“We’d be concerned if he didn’t continue!”

Horsburgh thanked council and the town for his experience.

“I know I made you (Prall) frown a few times, and I made my father frown more than a few times!” he said, referring to his father, Spencer, a past mayor.

“The thing I’ve learned the most is money goes too quick. You can see it come in, and so much is pre-determined. When you look at $50,000 in our budget for paving and the cots of the average driveway, you see it doesn’t go far.”

Horsburgh congratulated newly-elected councillors Anthony Morse and Marianne Woodworth, and wished them well.

Chief administrative officer Bob Ashley lead the oath for the swearing in of council.

Don Clarke was re-appointed deputy mayor, and will act in the mayor’s stead until November 2009. Council selects a new deputy mayor annually to give members experience, share the load of any extra duties and benefit from the nominal increase in pay while deputy mayor.

Clarke suggested a letter of thanks also be sent to Mike Munday and Danny Lecky, two candidates on the October 18 ballot who were not elected.

“They worked very hard to put their name out there, and they should be thanked.”

Council agreed unanimously.