The countdown is on - after four decades on Halton Hills Council, Mayor Rick Bonnette has about four months left to serve the local community as a politician.
‘Bunny’, as he’s affectionately known by many, was the man of the hour on Sunday afternoon (June 5) during a retirement party held at Acton Town Hall Centre.
Dozens of friends, fellow council members and supporters gathered to share humorous stories about Bonnette and praise him for accomplishments over his political career.
“Rick was a real fighter for our clients, and that’s how I knew he was going to be fabulous in politics,” said Elaine Thomas, who worked with Bonnette during his travel agency days and formerly served as his campaign manager.
“Even people that didn’t love him still respected him enough to vote for him. They knew he was a fighter. He will work for you whether he knows you, whether you’ve been good to him or bad to him. He works for this town and everybody in it.”
Bonnette reflected on 40 years of being a local politician, noting many of the issues that were the topics of the day in 1982, like traffic and taxes, are still on everyone’s minds now.
He said he’s proud to have been the first mayor elected from Acton - something he said he couldn’t have achieved without the support from residents in Georgetown and the rural area as well.
“It’s really been a dream job for me,” he said. “Thank you to the town of Halton Hills. It’s been a wonderful time.”
Among those Georgetown supporters is Sue Robling, who lives at one of the first houses Bonnette campaigned at for mayor almost two decades ago.
While he won her over at the door, she said she was really wowed when she called him at a later date and he remembered where she lived and how many children she had.
“I was always so impressed with that,” she said, noting she went on to help him during his next campaign for mayor and ultimately became friends with him and wife Josey.
“There’s so many good things he’s done for our town, but there’s also so many good things that RIck and Josey have done for our family,” she said.
“Thank you for all the years of service you’ve had with town council as mayor, and thank you for all the years of friendship that we’ve shared.”
Others in attendance credited Bonnette for helping bring cultural events to Halton Hills, and the Three Musketears skate park in Acton, named in honour of three local youth who lost their lives in a Sept. 2000 car accident.
The evening ended on a fun note, with the Bonnettes sharing their love of karaoke with everyone.
Bonnette was first elected to council in 1982 and has held the mayor’s position since 2003.
He received a long-standing service award from the Province in 2008 and was again recognized in 2012 with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his dedicated service to Canada.
