After eight years as LaSalle's mayor, Ken Antaya is saying goodbye to his life as an elected official.
During town council's meeting Tuesday night, Antaya announced that he will not seek re-election this October.
"I've given a number of years to the community and I think it's time to move on and start concentrating on my golf game and my family," he said. "I think we've done well over the eight years, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished."
The 67-year-old was first elected in 2010 after serving as the town's CAO for 17 years. He was re-elected for a second term in 2014.
Antaya said the decision to leave office was not made quickly and his departure will be bittersweet due to his love for the Town of LaSalle.
"I feel that I'm exiting on a high note, and that's important to me," he said. "This is a great community to be a leader in, and it's a great community to be the mayor. The community, the staff, the organizations, they've shown me such tremendous respect, and I'm very thankful for being involved in such a great town."
When asked about what kind of legacy he believes he will leave behind for LaSalle, Antaya said he hopes he's thought of "as simply a good man who was honest enough to provide a service in the community."
"[I hope] people will think that I had a love for the town, and made sure that we always attended to the municipalities needs, and always put the ratepayers' concerns first and foremost."
Antaya said he intended to boost investment locally during the last election, and has cited the construction of the civic centre in the town's centre as an example of the municipality's commitment to make an investment in itself. He also pointed to improvements in community transit and infrastructure as high points.
