Clarendon Mayor John Armstrong was one of several MRC Pontiac mayors who decided not to seek re-election this year. He spoke with CHIP 101.9 about his 16 years in municipal politics, and gave some advice to those who will be following in his footsteps.

Armstrong entered politics as a councillor and served for ten years, before stepping up from his pro-mayor position after the mayor at the time, Terry Elliot, resigned two years into his term due to health issues.

Armstrong said that the issues facing council haven’t changed much since he was elected in the early 2000s, as the primary concern of the municipality is road maintenance.

Armstrong also said that he had been involved in other community activities such as coaching minor hockey for many years, but didn’t want to enter local politics until he retired from his job at the mill in Portage du Fort.

He said that while he is in good health, at 77 years old he felt he had done his part to serve his community and added that he was focused on spending more time with his family, specifically his grandchildren.

Armstrong said that he’s been asked for advice on serving as mayor, and he said that the most important thing is being available to your constituents and treating them with respect.

The full interview with Armstrong is available below.