While there are plenty of folks looking to get elected to local councils, one long-serving mayor decided it was time to step back from municipal politics. Jim Gibson, outgoing mayor of the isolated municipality of Rapides des Joachims, was first elected to council 16 years ago.

He served as councillor and pro-mayor for his first term. In the following election, he ran for mayor and has been there ever since, spending 12 years in the top job.

He said that there were numerous accomplishments that he was proud of during his time, from large investments in infrastructure to transit and health services for residents. Since the municipality is accessible primarily through Ontario, Gibson said that coordinating ways to adapt and find efficient solutions was a big focus of his:

One of the reasons Gibson gave for his departure was his age of 79 years old. He added that he was planning on moving to Huntingdon, in Montérégie, which also played a factor:

The full interview with Gibson is available below: