A member of Tecumseh council is not seeking re-election.
Ward 3 councillor Rick Tonial has announced he will not run again and is retiring from council.
Tonial was first elected in 2018 and then was re-elected in 2022.
He tells AM800 news he’s stepping away to spend more time with family.
“Once the grandkids came, things changed for me and my wife,” he says. “It was time to give it to somebody else with more energy, a little bit younger maybe and ready to bring the town to the next level for the next 20-30 years.”
Tonial says he has enjoyed serving the municipality.
“I did 31 years of policing and eight years of council, so after 39 years of serving the public, I felt it’s just time to spend time with my family; I got grandkids now, so retiring from everything I believe and just going to take care of my family,” says Tonial.
He says he grew up in Tecumseh.
“I always wanted to police in town here, and I fulfilled my goal of that, and I think I made a difference while I was here, and who knows, maybe I’ll volunteer somewhere or join some group and participate that way, but it’s always been in my heart to serve the community, so after policing, I thought council would be the next thing, so I did two terms,” he says.
Tonial says during his time on council, he was always true to himself and made decisions he thought were right for the community.
He says he always made sure his decisions were the correct ones and didn’t make a decision for a vote from somebody.
As of Monday afternoon, three people have stepped forward and have filed nomination papers to run in Tecumseh’s Ward 3.
Interested individuals have until Friday, August 21, to file their nomination papers.
The municipal election takes place on Monday, October 26.
