Mayor Steve Ferguson has announced he will not seek re-election this year.

“Now is the time,” he said before a cadre of media reps on Wednesday morning last week. “I’ve accomplished about as much as I can, and I’m happy and very proud of what I’ve done.”

After serving for a term as South Marysburgh’s Councillor, Mr. Ferguson was elected Mayor in 2018. He won re-election in 2022.

His speech highlighted key moments of engagement. Top of mind were the three states of emergency —the result of, variously, high water, flooding and severe weather — he navigated over two terms at the helm.

No one who experienced it will ever forget the Mayor’s meteorological social media updates, posted from outside his house during the Christmas Blizzard of 2024.

“I have loved this job. It has been a terrific job.
It has ticked all the right boxes for me.
It’s been both 
intellectually and emotionally stimulating.
What’s not to like about it?”

–Mayor Steve Ferguson

True to the form that’s defined his leadership, Mr. Ferguson highlighted collaboration. “The collective record of our achievements during this period is both considerable and commendable. I am very proud to have contributed to these outcomes, however, our success has been driven in large part by the leadership, commitment, and collaboration of the members of council and our municipal staff, not to mention dozens of volunteers.” 

Describing himself as “target-oriented,” the Mayor pointed to a number of large scale, community defining projects accomplished over his tenure. Former Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith and his successor Tyler Allsopp have both said that if their phone rang, there was a better than equal chance it was Prince Edward County’s Mayor on the other end, eager to discuss how the province might be able to help the municipality.

That persistence paid off. The province has been kind in recent years. Both a new hospital and a new long term care home are underway on the eastern edge of town. In the west end of the County, $18 million in provincial grants are at work to service the water and wastewater infrastructure essential to new housing.

Securing the Queen Elizabeth School property for affordable housing and social services was a key project fulfilled, as were navigating the COVID-19 pandemic; securing approval of the County Road 1/Highway 62 roundabout; securing Campfire Circle’s new medical camp facility in Bloomfield; implementing the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) and financial relief programs; developing and adopting both a new Asset Management Plan and a revised Official Plan; and most recently, securing funding for the full reconstruction of County Road 49. 

Not everything was rosy, however. High-profile staff departures, contentious, community-dividing planning issues, and worries about the budget and the deficit were also part of the ride.

Between marathon council meetings, unending abuse on social media, and the stress of answering to 25,000 citizens, the life of a mayor is not easy, even when it all seems to be heading in the right direction. But Mr. Ferguson has relished the challenge.

“I have loved this job. It has been a terrific job. It has ticked all the right boxes for me. It’s been both intellectually and emotionally stimulating. What’s not to like about it?” he laughs.

As for his eventual successor, the Mayor said messaging is key, especially reminding all newcomers — residents and business owners alike — to respect all the reasons why they came to live here in the first place.

He stressed the County’s greatest asset is its hundreds of municipal employees. “Get to know them. Get to know how they work. Get to know the volunteer community because you absolutely need the volunteers to make this place move forward,” he said.

And for the next Council and Mayor, the message is to continue to move forward and progress as a community.

“You can’t look back. Prince Edward County has changed and changed significantly since about 2015, if not earlier. We have a terrific reputation. We have developed great relationships with upper levels of government and we are recognized as a progressive municipality. I’m very proud of that. 

“We’re surrounded by 15 million people within a two-and-a-half-hour drive. We have many items and experiences that other people want. 

“It’s a good problem to have.”