‘I’m still mayor’: Pembroke Mayor Mike LeMay still has business to finish before he leaves office

For the first time in more than 45 years, the incumbent mayor of Pembroke will not be a candidate for re-election after current mayor, Mike LeMay, announced he would not be seeking a third term of council in this year’s fall municipal election.

Mayor LeMay, who was first elected in 2014, said although it is public knowledge he won’t be seeking the Chains of Office a third time, said his current status is anything but a “lame-duck” head of council. One project he intends to focus his energy on is a long-term strategic plan that will help provide a roadmap to guide Pembroke into the future.

“I’ve reminded council that I’m still mayor until the end of October and I will continue pushing forward projects in our strategic plan,” LeMay said. “My focus for the next eight months is the city. I want to make sure that priorities in our strategic plan continue to move forward. We still have lots of work before the end of the present term of council.”

Unlike many politicians, LeMay never set out to make politics the focus of his life and felt that two terms was long enough to accomplish the goals he set for himself when he first put his name on the ballot box.

“When I ran for mayor, I was working on the notion that at least two terms would make sense to try and accomplish what I wanted to do for our community,” he said. “I did consider a third term, but after 35 years in the teaching profession and approximately 20 years serving on different committees, both provincially and municipally, my wife and I decided it was the time to really retire.”

He said one of the major changes was being a municipal leader under a Liberal government and now a Conservative government. Unlike most municipal leaders, he has no qualms acknowledging the efforts of politicians within the upper levels of government no matter what their political affiliation.

“Our priorities as a municipal government didn’t change and our messaging to the government had to be clear. Whatever we were requesting from them was and is essential to better serve our residents. MPP John Yakabuski has been a tremendous help to us both when he was an opposition member and now as a member of the governing party. I consider him a mentor.”

Deputy-Mayor Will Seek Top Job

Following LeMay’s announcement, it didn’t take long for a veteran politician to throw his hat into the ring. Deputy-mayor Ron Gervais, who has captured the most votes for a councillor in the last three elections, said he intends to file on May 2.

A long-time resident of the city who has practiced law in the area for over 20 years, Gervais has garnered the most votes in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 elections. As deputy mayor, he has held some very crucial positions including being the chairman of the police services board, the finance and administration committee and the operations committee.

Gervais plans to outline his platform after May 2 but said the time is right for him to run for mayor of this city of 13,900.

“Now more than ever, I believe it is time to run for the position of mayor which will enable me to continue to provide leadership to the council of 2022-2026,” Gervais said. “For some time I’ve been thinking about running for the mayor’s position should it become available. This is my third term acting as the deputy mayor. I love our city and this is a way to provide some leadership and to continue the great work that’s happened in the last few terms.”

With the city being known as “the heart of the Ottawa Valley” is something he would never take for granted and it is a matter of balance when it comes to holding the top job, should he have the honour of being elected mayor.

“I think I’ve done a good job trying to balance my work as a local lawyer, my commitment to the city as well as my commitment to my family,” Gervais said. “It’s a matter of time management.”