Wyatt Glebe is officially done as a Town of Westlock councillor.
At their July 4 meeting, councillors accepted Glebe’s resignation letter, which has been a foregone conclusion as Wyatt wife Shelia has accepted a job as principal of a École Secondaire Ste. Marguerite d’Youville School in St. Albert following a five-year run as St. Mary School principal.
“I would say Wyatt was an excellent team player,” said mayor Ralph Leriger. “He read his materials well and did his research. He’s a man of few words, but when he chose to contribute he was well thought out. I relied on Wyatt for important counsel. I appreciated Wyatt’s opinion over our four years.”
Glebe, who was also CAO of Westlock County from 1984 to 2004, says they’ll miss the community. With only a handful of months before the Oct. 16 municipal election, Glebe’s seat will remain vacant.
“The ability to walk down the street and say hello to everyone you meet. The sense of contact and knowing who you’re neighbours are. I’m also going to miss being involved in council,” said Glebe.
Looking back on his term, Glebe encourages residents to run, although he did offer some key advice.
“Anyone who’s running for town council has to be prepared to work with administration and their fellow council members. If individuals are attempting to get on council with specific issues, they’re going to become disappointed pretty easily,” he said. “You have to have an open mind and be able to communicate well with your fellow councillors.”
At the council table, Glebe, who said he always tried to bring balance to the discussions, says he’s most proud of how he contributed to council’s stability.
During his four years Westlock developed a strategic growth plan, got the ball rolling on new developments and hosted the BP Cup in February of this year.
Noting that he is now technically retired, Glebe said he didn’t have any immediate plans for his next move, though he quickly revised that with a suggestion that he was curious about what kind of volunteer help was needed in St. Albert.
“I’m not going to go out and actively look for something. I’m more interested in just watching what is going on and see what’s available,” he said. “I am a senior citizen, so what the heck, how much more do I really want to do?”
Leriger said that Westlock would miss both Wyatt and Sheila Glebe immensely.
“They’re strong community people,” he said. “Losing the two of them leaves a big gap for us.”
