Amherstburg's outgoing mayor Wayne Hurst is leaving without any final remarks at the council table.
Hurst along with outgoing councillors John Sutton and Bob Pillon didn't give any farewell speeches at the last meeting of the current council on Monday night.
Hurst also refused to speak to media after the meeting, but spoke to BlackburnNews.com.
"The press would come up to me and say, 'what do you think about this?'" Says Hurst, commenting on the focus given to Amherstburg's financial challenges. "I don't speculate. I said, 'let the process take its place, come back and see me.' But, they never did. You understand? Because there's nothing there. People gravitate to all of the negativity."
Hurst feels his legacy in his 23 years of holding public office is seen in infrastructure improvements including the waste water treatment centre, the recreation complex and the crossing in front of General Amherst High School among other projects.
"I think they'll look back and say that, 'he's a visionary, he's an individual who shows leadership,'" says Hurst. "We got funding for almost $88-million and it cost us $44-million and so anybody who wouldn't take that, there's something wrong with them."
Amherstburg's debt is expected to reach $47-million by the end of 2014.
Councillor Carolyn Davies and Deputy Mayor Ron Sutherland, both council members attending their final meeting, thanked the public and administration in serving their four-year term. Councillors Diane Pouget and Bart DiPasquale will both be returning as part of the newly elected council.
The audience in council chambers at the final meeting of the current Amherstburg Council on November 17, 2014. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)