Adam Prudhomme
Editor
For the first time in 12 years Marg Isbester’s name won’t appear on the ballot in a Greater Napanee municipal election this October.
The mayor announced earlier this month she won’t be seeking re-election, ending a run on council that saw her move from councillor to deputy mayor to mayor.
“It was not taken lightly, but it was probably made during the second year of this term,” Isbester said of the decision not to run for a fourth term on council.
She says wanting to spend more time with family was the biggest factor in her decision, particularly in the wake of the pandemic.
“The biggest thing that made it easier for me was when a couple of councillors came to me and said they were interested in stepping up which meant that we were going to have some experienced people that were looking to take on the top jobs,” added Isbester. “That certainly made my life much easier.”
Like so many municipal counicllors across the province have expressed, Isbester says the pandemic has made this last term feel like eight years packed into four. Being mayor of Greater Napanee also comes with the added responsibility of serving on Lennox and Addington County council, during which time Isbester has taken two official terms as warden and most recently took on the role as Ric Bresee suspended his term to run for MPP of Hastings-Lennox and Addington.
“Being tested on our reaction to a state of emergency and how we reacted within and without and how proud I am of council, staff and residents for making it through something that not only was very scary but also very controversial as well,” Isbester said when asked to reflect on a moment she’s particularly proud of during this term.
Streaming meetings for residents to view online is also a feather in the cap, one she had been pushing for dating back to her time as deputy mayor. The pandemic made it necessary and she says she’s proud of the way the town was able to make it happen with plans now to stream every meeting from town hall chambers going forward.
“The other thing would be seeing a turnaround with our finances,” said Isbester. “Not that they hadn’t been look after previously, but a change in thoughts for collecting back taxes and making sure that our systems were up to date. We have a long way to go, but there was a huge couple of steps forward to see that we could do that. There are huge steps for the next council to make to make sure that these things are done and working for everyone.”
Working together with L&A County and KFLA Public Health to launch several vaccination clinics is also one of her proudest accomplishments. The KFLA region continues to lead the province as being one of the most vaccinated units.
“Making it so that people weren’t maybe comfortable with it but at least they had the advice to go on and then it was up to them to do it,” Isbester said of communicating Public Health advice during the height of the pandemic. “We were very fortunate and I think Greater Napanee and the County of Lennox and Addington certainly reacted to it well.”
Isbester oversaw some major changes to council over her term, as all five councillors were first-timers. She says this council made a particular effort to serve the whole town, not strictly individual wards.
“This council, the urban and rural words very seldom got said within council chambers,” said Isbester. “Did everybody try to look after the residents in the their wards and did the deputy and I try to look after everybody? Yep they did. But there was no look at it only from the perspective of your own ward. For the three councils that I worked in, this has been the best council to move things forward.”
Looking ahead to the municipal election, Isbester hopes to see a race in every ward and for the deputy mayor and mayor chairs-though she once again made it clear she’d still prefer to see voting at large. Having a race is good for voter engagement she says.
“Last time it was survival, now it’s recovery,” Isbester said of the next term as the world emerges from the pandemic. “There’s a lot of work to do. There’s a lot dealing with the provincial government and federal government to make sure that we get our share of funding. Knowing your way through all those different avenues is going to be so important to make sure that you’ve got some experience throughout council, not all of council, but throughout council. New blood certainly never hurts.”
Still a handful of meetings over the next couple of months on the slate, Isbester says there’s still work to do as they close out the term. That remains her main focus though she has put some thought into what life will be like in her second retirement.
“I won’t fade into the woodwork but I would like to take some time off to do some travelling, to spend some time with family, I’d like to read a book instead of reading an agenda for a change,” said Isbester. “Your life gets to be one meeting after the other and preparing for it but that should not deter anyone for wanting to do it and I have enjoyed every single second of the 12 years starting with being on council and learning- and boy there is a lot to learn.”
About the only thing that could have made her time on council more enjoyable would have been if her beloved Toronto Maple Leafs had won a Stanley Cup during that time.