Prescott-Russell mayors honour a comrade gŏđŏ
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GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Shock was a word that came up often as the late Jean-Paul St-Pierre’s fellow may- ors recalled their too-soon-departed po- litical comrade. St. Pierre passed away suddenly Saturday morning. “A great shock,” said François St-Amour of the neighboring Nationmunicipality.“We’re losing a good leader. A person who knew how to listen. He was a man of few words, but his words carried a lot and meant a lot.” Other mayors echoed the same feelings. “He was a person who gets the people together, “said Jean-Yves Lalonde of Al- fred-Plantagenet Township. “I enjoyed his company and the work we did together,” stated Hawkesbury’s René Berthiaume. “He listened to everybody,” said Mayor Gary Barton of Champlain Township. “He was an example to us all,” added Robert Kirby of East Hawkesbury. “J.P. was a great person, a good listener. It’s a shame,” said Casselman’s Claude Levac. “Unfortunate,” stated Rock- land’s marcel Guibord. St-Pierre held three political offices during the past year. Besides being mayor of Rus- sell Township, he was also warden for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR), and this year’s chairman of the Eastern On- tario Wardens Caucus (EOWC). UCPR Direc- tor Stéphane Parisien described himself as
Mourners sign a Book of Memories set out as part of a shrine to Jean-Paul St-Pierre outside of Russell Township council chamber at the municipal office.
erosity and his contributions at the munici- pal and regional levels will not be forgot- ten.” St-Pierre passed away Oct. 18, the cause of his death not-yet-determined at press time. A funeral service is scheduled for the Oct. 25 weekend. A testimonial tribute to his memory was held in Russell Township council chambers on Monday, with family, friends, township staff, and the four mem- bers of Russell Township council attending. The mayoral election in Russell Township is delayed now as there was just one other candidate contesting the seat. A separate byelection will be held for the post in mid- December and the nomination period for
mayoral candidates is now open until the afternoon of Oct. 31. Besides holding the post of mayor of Russell Township, St-Pierre was the current warden for the United Counties of Prescott- Russell and the chairman for the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC). The EOWC vice-chairman will assume any remaining duties for 2014 while the counties council will determine during this week’s regular session how to fill the war- den’’s chair left vacant with St-Pierre’s death until after the Oct. 27 civic elections and the inauguration of the new counties council in December along with selection of the war- den for 2015.
Jean-Paul St-Pierre
“feeling sick” after sending out a weekend news release on behalf of the counties about the sudden death of the warden with condolences to the St-Pierre family. “Today, we have lost our leader, but also a great friend and a wonderful human be- ing,”Parisien wrote.“As our warden this year, Jean-Paul made great strides in strengthen- ing relationships between local municipali- ties, their mayors, and also among employ- ees. In addition to being a great visionary at the council table, he was a compassionate person and a unifying force. His great gen-
A respectful, transparent and ethical choice for our ward. An energetic candidate that will be active in our community. Sound experience in Finance, Human Resources and Project Management. Un choix respectueux, transparent et éthique pour notre quartier. Un candidat énergique qui sera actif dans notre communauté. Une bonne expérience en finances, en ressources humaines et en gestion de projets.
MARIO ZANTH Ward #2 Councillor Conseiller Quartier # 2
BILLETS disponible au RIVER ROCK INN
613.858.5080 | www.mariozanth.ca
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