For the second time in his career, Paul Eagleson is the warden of Bruce County.
Eagleson was acclaimed to the position during Thursday morning's inaugural session after no other challengers stepped forward.
The Arran-Elderslie mayor was previously warden in 1995 and says it's an honour to not only sit as the head of county council, but also to win the job by acclamation.
Eagleson says many of the county's priorities are already set as part of the 2018 budget, and it will be his job to see those through, including two bridge projects, the SWIFT broadband internet project and to kick-start a plan to build a new EMS station in Saugeen Shores.
"I think it's time we own our own ambulance EMS station in Saugeen Shores, we've been leasing up there since I guess we started and we have some property, it's a good location, it's time for the county to own their own [EMS station]," says Eagleson. "Hopefully we'll get some drawings made there, whether we turn ground this fall, I don't know, I'm not going to predict that."
Eagleson takes over for Huron-Kinloss Mayor Mitch Twolan, who sat in the warden's chair for three years and he says the county's economic development partnership with Bruce Power that has seen dozens of companies set up shop locally will continue to be at the forefront.
With Bruce Power's major component replacement on the horizon, Twolan says now is the time to strike while the iron is hot.
"The most important thing, in my mind, that we can do is try to find economic development so people in our communities can go to work everyday and have the quality of life to support their families," says Twolan. "That's the number one piece of advice that I give to Warden Eagleson."
Bruce County Warden Paul Eagleson [centre] is lead to the warden's chair by nominators Saugeen Shores Mayor Mike Smith [left] and Brockton Mayor David Inglis. (Photo by Jordan Mackinnon)