It’s official. Belleville council’s four-year term came to an end Monday with its final meeting.
Councillors spent the majority of the meeting saying thank you to its members who will not be returning
to serve on the new council, whose term begins Tuesday with an inaugural meeting.
Outgoing councillors receiving congratulations for their service were Kelly McCaw, Carol Feeney, and Bill Sandison, along with outgoing Mayor Mitch Panciuk.
In his closing remarks Panciuk said he was “blessed by God to serve his adopted home of the City of Belleville.”
The 76th mayor of Belleville thanked council for its support saying the city had made “amazing progress” over the past four years.
“Belleville has now become a highly sought community. We’ve improved services, built new facilities, and we’ve done it while keeping taxes down for our residents. The city is in a golden era now, with record growth and investment. People everywhere are having a good look at Belleville.”
The outgoing mayor said the term saw the creation of a solid and competent senior manager team and said all members of council came to the table with “big ideas,” many of which were accomplished.
Those accomplishments include the construction of a big new fairgrounds and exhibition grounds for the Belleville Agricultural Society, ongoing renovations and upgrades to the Memorial Arena, the purchase of a large part of the former Bakelite property in the east end for recreation purposes, a record amount of new housing, the attraction of a new industry employing several hundred people coming to the Northeast Industrial Park, and the confirmation of a huge housing/recreation development on Black Bear Ridge Golf Course property.
Panciuk said he was amazed at the competence and passion of the city’s staff, saying he learned “so much from them.”
He also had words of thanks for his family for their continued support as he fulfilled his role as council’s leader, particularly his wife of 26 years, Lisa. “We were a team. Lisa attended countless events with me, all the while taking on the job of running our restaurant Boston Pizza. She did a great job and we will set a new sales record.”
“My last eight years on council (first term as a councillor) were an incredible experience and I don’t regret any of it. I’d do it all over again and while we worked hard we had some fun too. I will be here to support and cheer on the new council.”
Councillor Sean Kelly presented Panciuk with a gift from the city and said the outgoing mayor led by example and led council with a strong work ethic and commitment to the community.
“There was no such thing as an eight-hour workday for this mayor and I thank him for his support as we started the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee while we created events that have changed the face of the community. This committee and its work is drawing attention from many other municipalities in the province.”
Kelly got laughs from the packed gallery when he joked that he’d spare no effort “getting you (Panciuk) in the picture holding a shovel when we break ground on a new Costco.”
Councillor Chris Malette said Panciuk was outspoken but always knew what he was talking about and while they had some raucous arguments over the past term he praised Panciuk for his dedication and leading the city to a better place than it was when council took over in 2018.
Tyler Allsopp offered his congratulations to Panciuk saying he’d worked hard to make the city better, adding that he took the job wanting to do a job and that is exactly what he did. “You (Panciuk) helped me a lot as I (along with Carol Feeney) were the new kids on the block when we were appointed to council mid-term.”
Bill Sandison said he started on council with a list of priorities and found the mayor shared most of them. He praised Panciuk for putting more housing, affordable and otherwise, as a number one priority.
“We had a housing summit, drawing on the input of all stakeholders in the city, and out of that came the Community Improvement Plan which is increasing housing development day by day as we invested $14 million in incentives over a nine-year period.”
What most impressed Sandison about Panciuk was his “human side” as he publicly paid tribute to several past members of Belleville council such as Robin Jeffrey and Pat Culhane.
Councillor Garnet Thompson, the senior member of council, said that under the leadership of Panciuk, council got things done, citing examples like the new Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity builds, and a new state of the art Hospice Quinte.
Paul Carr said that while he and Panciuk didn’t see eye to eye on some issues Panciuk led a team of eight different personalities and priorities, a team that has made the city a better place. “You worked hard and guided us to work for the betterment of our residents.”
Outgoing Mayor Mitch Panciuk greets well-wishers. (Photo: Quinte News)
Outgoing councillors also spoke and were congratulated. Carol Feeney was first up. “I might go down in the archives as the shortest serving councillor in Belleville history at 18 months but I’m so happy to have had this experience. I got to visit our sister city Lahr Germany, we invested a record amount in infrastructure, brought in the first woman fire chief ever along with Camp Molly, better recreation facilities, and more much-needed apartment units. Thanks to council and staff for their support. And thanks to the voters who trusted a rookie councillor with solving their problems.”
Outgoing Mayor Mitch Panciuk said Feeney was a welcome addition to council and someone who represented all of the community, not just the loudest voices. “Councillor Feeney brought an important and somewhat different perspective to our council.”
Bill Sandison said he found the last four years very rewarding. “I invested a lot of time and effort but believe me I got more out of the experience than I gave.”
Sandison too had high praise for city staff. “I regret leaving but I want to thank the voters, all of them, not just the ones who supported me, but those that didn’t. Thanks for having an interest and taking the time to take part in the democratic process.”
Councillor Sean Kelly said he didn’t always agree with Sandison but added, “He was always well-prepared and thoughtful and I respect him.”
Chris Malette said the city had made a lot of progress on public transit and environmental issues in no small thanks to Sandison’s work. “He may have appeared to be all business but he was a lot of fun to work with.”
Mitch Panciuk said Belleville had benefited from Sandison’s hard work adding, “He didn’t suffer fools gladly. He challenged us to do better and we did just that.”
Panciuk said Sandison led the push to create a new and better senior management team and administration structure, praising him as being a “work horse.”
Kelly McCaw kept her comments brief. “I’ve had good times and bad times these past eight years on council but they were mostly good ones. Thanks so much to council and staff but most of all to the residents who trusted me to take their concerns to the council table. I’ve met so many wonderful people in my time here and that’s a big win, whether you win an election or not.”
Mitch Panciuk said McCaw in some ways was an “unlikely councillor” growing up on Station Street in a working class neighbourhood and approaching life with a straight-forward, no nonsense perspective, speaking directly about her concerns.
“Kelly fought for seniors, the poor, young adults and business owners and she was a champion for the city’s emergency services, especially the police service and she pushed hard for more women in senior management positions with the city, something that we as a council have accomplished.”
From left to right: Outgoing councillors Carol Feeney, Bill Sandison, and Kelly McCaw. (Photo: Quinte News)
