The final meeting of the current Windsor City Council closed with plenty of expressions of gratitude. Monday’s meeting, the last of the 2022-2026 term of council, saw four departing members of council along with outgoing Mayor Drew Dilkens deliver final messages as their time around the table comes to an end. Dilkens is being replaced as mayor after losing his municipal election campaign for a fourth term to Ward 1 Councillor Fred Francis. Three councillors chose not to see re-election-Ward 4’s Mark McKenzie, Ward 5’s Ed Sleiman, and Ward 6’s Jo-Anne Gignac, while Jim Morrison lost his bid for a third term as the Ward 10 councillor to Mark Masanovich. Dilkens presented each of the outgoing councillors with plaques in honour of their time on council, while Mayor-elect Francis paid tribute to Dilkens, presenting him with a plaque recognizing his 20 years of service for his eight years on council and 12 years as mayor. McKenzie told the council that Ward 5’s Sleiman “is the kindest person I’ve ever met” and told a story of his generosity after Sleiman learned Ward 7 Councillor Angelo Marignani had been in a car accident. “His car was a write-off, and Ed offered his own car to councillor Marignani and said, “If you need a car, you can use mine until you get a new one. That’s the type of person Ed is,” said McKenzie. Sleiman told the council that serving the city has been the honour of his life. “I didn’t run for council to make speeches or sit in a meeting; I ran to solve problems, I ran to help people, and I ran to make positive differences in people’s lives,” he said. Ward 10 Councillor Jim Morrison said serving on the Development and Heritage Standing Committee is where he faced some of his toughest decisions because he had to make decisions about developments people were against. “It’s not good for popularity; I can tell you that. I’m sure there are people out there who, when I voted for developments, probably don’t really like me,” he said. “That’s okay. I made the decisions I thought were best for the community.” Morrison also paid tribute to his wife, Kathy, for her support during his time on council, whom he called his biggest helper and biggest strength when times were tough. “She’s sitting right in the back row like she always is. She’s always in the background, and she doesn’t want anything out of it, but she’s out there everyday out there with me campaigning, and as was alluded to by mayor-elect Francis, our partners pay a big price,” he said. Gignac told council that social media has impacted the job of being a city councillor since she was first elected. “I have to agree with Councillor Morrison in terms of the sometimes, totally unacceptable criticism that elected people hear,” she said. As Mayor Drew Dilkens closed the final meeting of his term of council, he said there are 34 people over 130 years who’ve had the chance to sit in the mayor’s chair, and he feels he learned so much. “I leave here with such a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude. I can’t even properly put it into words,” he said. The next Windsor City Council will be sworn in November 15 with the first meeting of the term scheduled for November 16. Along with Francis moving into the mayor’s office, the new council will include Darcie Renaud in Ward 1, Chris Holt in Ward 4, Ken Acton in Ward 5, Jeremy Renaud in Ward 6, and Masanovich in Ward 10. Five incumbents were also re-elected. Frazier Fathers in Ward 2, Ward 3’s Renaldo Agostino, Angelo Marignani in Ward 7, Ward 8’s Gary Kaschak, and Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie.
