Radium Hot Springs Mayor Clara Reinhardt will be stepping away from municipal politics after being involved for 14 years.
Reinhardt served on the village council for six years before she became mayor, and held that position for eight years.
“I have loved every minute of it, and I feel like I’ve done a good job,” said Reinhardt. “I want to be one of those people who leave when things are going well, not when people have had enough and are ready to kick me out the door.”
In her retirement, Reinhardt plans to spend time within the community and abroad.
“I’m interested in doing some volunteer work and working with some committees, spending some time with my grandkids and doing some travelling,” said Reinhardt.
Reinhardt added that she will be spending time with her three children and three grandsons
Once officially out of office, Reinhardt said she plans to visit the Holy Land in Isreal and she hopes to visit Africa next year.
The soon-to-be-retired mayor spoke about some high points over her time in office.
“It was a real highlight when we built our community center by saying we were going to build with wood, having the resolution, working with the partners and the architect,” said Reinhardt. “We have had real high-functioning councils and we’re a great team. Not everyone has that.”
Recently, Reinhardt was recognized as a community champion by the Forest Products Association of Canada.
“I think a big part of it is that when you live in a report municipality that has a sawmill, there’s a couple of things that can go wrong,” said Reinhardt. “We worked really hard at keeping communication open, working together, understanding the forestry industry and them trying to understand us. I think it has gone well.”
Two candidates are in the running to fill the role as Radium’s next mayor, council member Mike Gray and political newcomer Brad Lawrence. Reinhardt feels confident in the community’s options in the 2022 general local election.
“I feel like we’re in good hands. We have two really strong candidates and residents will choose what style they like. The future is bright for Radium,” said Reinhardt.