As Torontonians waited for their mayor to speak about his use of crack cocaine on Tuesday, Jasper鈥檚 own mayor was chairing the first regular meeting of our newly-elected council.
Although both men share the same title, there are thankfully no further similarities between Rob Ford and Richard Ireland.
Ford is an out of control, explosive man who was videotaped smoking crack cocaine while in a 鈥渄runken stupor.鈥� He鈥檚 a man who lied about his drug use for months and only admitted to it once outed by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair. And he鈥檚 a man, who despite his illegal activities and the embarrassment he鈥檚 bestowed upon his city, refuses to step down from his position as mayor.
Ireland, on the other hand, is a soft spoken, hard working man, who Jasper has counted on for nearly 25 years.
He鈥檚 the man who led our community to independence in 2001 and who worked tirelessly with Parks Canada to improve a relationship that was previously strained.
And for his fifth term鈥攁fter a landslide victory鈥攈e is yet again at the helm of our town council, leading Jasper toward further success.
A horror story like Ford鈥檚 is a good reminder of just how lucky Jasper is to have a mayor like Ireland鈥� a mayor who will never be the butt of a joke or a reason for negative attention.
Rather, Ireland is an ambassador for our community. He鈥檚 a person Jasper can count on to show up to almost any event, large or small, with a ready smile and a thoughtful speech.
And even when he鈥檚 not 鈥渙n duty,鈥� he鈥檚 an approachable, welcoming and attentive man.
Although he won鈥檛 be our mayor forever鈥攅ven he鈥檒l have to retire one day鈥擨reland鈥檚 legacy will live on in Jasper. The community鈥檚 expectations will remain high, with the assumption that the person who fills his shoes will live up to the standards set before them.
That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 no wonder council ratified a motion to increase the mayor鈥檚 wage on Tuesday.
The job was previously under compensated. Until now, Ireland was receiving $1,825 a month for his endless hours of service.
The increase, unanimously approved Nov. 5, will now see his remuneration increase to $2,500 a month, not including a per diem for meetings, events and conferences outside of regular council work.
Considering the level of dedication Jasper expects of its mayor and the level of service the community receives from Ireland, it鈥檚 not hard to rationalize such an increase.
