Mayor Armand Hurford reflected on the weight of office, John French recalled tears at a ceremony, and Chris Pettingill asked residents to give their incoming representatives “some grace” as Squamish council gathered for its final meeting Oct. 20.
The special business meeting, called to receive a summary of council’s strategic plan, became a farewell marked by gratitude, humour and reflections on the personal demands of public service.
Wearing the chains of office, Hurford said their physical weight reflected the responsibility that came with the job. “It has physical weight but also has metaphoric weight of the role and the responsibility,” he said. “I am looking forward to taking this off before I walk out of this room tonight. It’s heavy.”
Hurford reminded those watching that decisions made in council chambers affected real people, including residents, applicants and staff with families. “The work we do that happens in this room, regardless of who’s doing it, isn’t a game,” he said.
Reflecting on eight years in local government, Hurford described long days spent reviewing agendas and conducting public business in a windowless room, with proceedings recorded and archived.
“I can’t think of a better group to have worked with,” he said. “When I take these chains off and walk out the door tonight, I’m a different and better person than when I walked in.”
Hurford said public service had been a continuing education. “I have learned something, usually multiple things, every single day in this role,” he said. “Thank you to the people of Squamish for entrusting me to do that work.”
Coun. John French recalled an image in the staff presentation showing council at a ceremony at the pavilion.
“There was a lot of waterworks for me at that ceremony,” French said. “That whole time that I stood on that stage, my eyes were filled with fluid, and it spilled over a bunch of times.”
French said he was proud of his work and what council had accomplished together over the past four years. “I’m really proud of the work that I did, and I’m proud of the work that you all did with me in accomplishing what we have over the last four years,” he said.
He also recalled a workplace personality exercise from the previous term. His guide offered colleagues two instructions: “Be patient. Get connected.”
“I experienced patience with every single person that I came in contact with in this organization over the past eight years,” he said. “And I really appreciate that.” “I learned a lot about life and myself,” French added, crediting the people he worked with and the objectives that guided council.
Coun. Chris Pettingill began his remarks by wondering whether he could get through them without “the waterworks.” He acknowledged the difficulty of tax increases while defending council’s focus on infrastructure and the community’s long-term needs. “It’s been difficult, and I know it’s been difficult for the community as well,” he said. “But I’m still very proud of what we’ve done together.”
Reflecting on the election, Pettingill said incumbents had faced an increasingly difficult world, while acknowledging council had made mistakes. “I don’t want to absolve ourselves of responsibility because surely, incumbents, we got some stuff wrong,” he said.
He urged residents to hold incoming representatives accountable while allowing them time to learn. “We have people stepping up who have never done this sort of work before, and we were in those shoes,” he said. “We need to give people some grace.”
Pettingill said he would be watching whether the new council read its materials, listened, showed empathy, remained open-minded and questioned its assumptions. “Do they have empathy? Do they come with an open mind? Do they think about the long term? And do they question every assumption they have?” he asked.
“We put a lot into this,” he said. “It’s going to be good to have a break.”
Coun. Jenna Stoner thanked colleagues for their deliberations and staff for their professionalism, patience and willingness to provide candid advice. “We’ve made some really tough decisions with that long-term thinking in mind,” she said, describing council’s approach as “focusing on the issues, not on the people.”
“That’s something that I hope folks will continue around this table.” Stoner said the work depended on people beyond those seated in council chambers. “The success has always been based on relationships, hard work, compromise, and building a strong team,” she said.
“It requires making trade-offs between what is needed in the long run and what the immediate demands are from our community.”
She encouraged incoming representatives to seek advice and context from those who had served before them.
“I think the main things that I have regretted in the past are times where I haven’t been humble enough to pick up the phone and ask for context,” she said.
Coun. Lauren Greenlaw said she was particularly proud of council’s work with the Squamish Nation and its efforts to secure affordable housing and child care.
“Equity is something that’s missing in our society in general, and obviously uplifting Indigenous peoples is a huge part of that,” she said. “So I’m really proud that we did that work.” “I’m glad we pushed really hard for that, and I’m proud that we stood up under pressure and held our integrity,” she said of council’s affordable housing and child-care efforts.
Although she had not sought re-election, Greenlaw said she would not rule out running again. “I just want you to know that I’m not going away,” she said, outlining plans to continue community-building and small-business advocacy. “I have also learned a lot about myself in a very public forum over the last four years,” she said.
Coun. Eric Andersen highlighted the relationship with the Squamish Nation and work that would provide a foundation for future councils.
“There’s a lot that is in the report and in the presentation we viewed this evening, but there’s even more in the way of platforms we built for the future,” he said. Andersen also paid tribute to French’s well-worn copy of the strategic plan.
“Councillor French should frame and properly hang his tattered copy of the strategic plan of the present council,” he said. “It is legendary.” Reflecting on challenges faced during successive terms, Andersen offered a comparison that drew laughter.
“The last council dealt with COVID. We dealt with the provincial government,” he said.
Coun. Andrew Hamilton offered a lighter farewell, describing the term as an education in both local government and himself before invoking fictional broadcaster Ron Burgundy. “I don’t know if I’ve learned more about local government or about myself in the last four years,” Hamilton said. “It’s been an extraordinarily educational process for me.”
He thanked staff for helping him navigate both municipal government and his own interactions.
“Thank you to staff for helping me through that educational process, both in local government and in how I interact with myself and others,” he said.
Staff presented Hurford with a ceremonial gavel as the meeting drew to a close. French supplied one final moment of humour: when Hurford called for a vote to end the meeting, he voted against it. “Please let the record show that Councillor French is opposed,” Hurford said.
“Motion carries.”
