Councillor Rick Hembly has announced he will not be a candidate in this fall’s municipal election.
Hembly, whose involvement in municipal politics dates back to 1997 when he served on the pre-amalgamation council in the former town of Palmerston, told the Advertiser he initially got involved in government to help promote economic development and preserve local history.
As the current chair and long-term member of the town’s economic development committee, he feels much has been accomplished in that area.
“With TG Minto and all these other companies that have come here, I just feel I’ve done what I wanted to do,” Hembly said, adding he is looking forward to pursuing other interests.
In 2002, Hembly was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee medal for his part in helping to preserve Palmerston’s railway heritage.
Hembly is a full-time fire fighter and a platoon chief with the Cambridge Fire Department.
The Palmerston native has also served as a volunteer firefighter in his home community for 28 years and is currently Palmerston station chief for the Minto Fire Service. He said he will also retire from his volunteer firefighter duties in December.
