Mansfield et Pontefract Mayor Gilles Dionne will not seek re-election

Mansfield et Pontefract Mayor Gilles Dionne will not seek re-election

Mansfield et Pontefract Mayor Gilles Dionne has decided that he will not be seeking another term. First elected as a councillor in 2009, he said that he’d enjoyed the past 12 years, but wanted to spend more time with his family.

Elected mayor in 2017, Dionne has been heavily involved in the attempted relaunch of the Davidson Sawmill. He said that he would like six or seven more months to work on the file, because he thinks there is a good chance the planned cogeneration plant will get off the ground. In an interview with CHIP 101.9, he revealed that municipal officials had recently met with a member of the provincial cabinet regarding the relaunch of the site.

During the interview he also said that he was pleased with the cooperation between his municipality and Fort Coulonge. “The inter-municipal meetings allow for better cohesion between the municipalities and that’s good for the whole community,” he said (translated).

Dionne thanked the municipal employees and his fellow council members. He also thanked the former mayor of Fort Coulonge, Gaston Allard, the current mayor Debbie Laporte and Pontiac Warden Jane Toller. He also didn’t rule out involvement in other aspects of community life. “I’ve always been involved, I’ve always wanted to help others, that won’t change, but I’m going to give myself a little time,” he said (translated).

The full (French-language) interview with Dionne is available here.