Blackberry’s ups and downs, major honours, and legal battles.
A month after announcing she doesn't plan to run for Waterloo`s top job in 2014, mayor Brenda Halloran reflected back on some pivotal moments during her two terms in office.
“One of the big ones for us was settling the RIM park litigation that we had inherited as a council in 2006," she said Sunday at her final New Year’s Levee as mayor. "It took us many years to get that resolved,”
“This is the eighth [New Year’s Levee] that I’ve done and this is my last one as I’m not running again,” she said. “It was a wonderful memory.”
Halloran tells CTV News one of the most memorable moments of her career came in 2007, just three months after she became mayor: Waterloo was named the most intelligent community.
The mayor hasn’t yet revealed her plans when she leaves office, but says the announcement is coming soon.
She notes that while only one person has officially announced their intention to run for mayor, she expects we’ll see more people come forward over the next few months.
One of the major election issues this year will be Light Rail Transit, but councillor Chris Ross says he hopes council will look at poverty issues.
“I think the increased division between rich and poor needs to be addressed,” he says. “I know that’s primarily a provincial and federal matter, but at the municipal level we've got to see if we can take measures.”
While Halloran said plenty of goodbyes at the Sunday levee, she notes she will remain on the job until December.
So far, no city councillors have announced their intention to run for the mayor’s seat.
Ward 2 councillor Karen Scian announced on Twitter Sunday she plans to run for a Waterloo seat on regional council.
