From his office in Pitt Meadows’ transformed civic centre, Don MacLean looks out at a view that he helped craft.
He points to the old B.C. Assessment building, the townhouses along Harris Road, the ultra-modern glass Solaris towers, the patch of land that will soon house a seniors’ pavilion, the gathering place that is Spirit Square.
Further south, there’s a renewed hockey arena and the waterfront community of Osprey Village – the latter his “pride and joy.”
“I have suddenly realized I have nothing more to prove,” says MacLean. “Pretty much everything I set out to accomplish, we’ve accomplished.”
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1948, MacLean grew up in Toronto.
He moved out west in 1971, eventually landing a job at Sharpe’s Agency, an insurance broker owned by former Pitt Meadows mayor Danny Sharpe.
With a mentor like Sharpe, it seemed natural for MacLean to dive into city politics.
He was elected to council in 1990, knocking a sitting councillor off his seat by 100 votes.
Back then, he thought he’d stick around for just one term. Twenty-one years later, he’s glad he lingered longer.
“It kind of grabs you. It’s addictive,” he says.
MacLean now owns the insurance agency founded by Sharpe and has relocated to commercial space on the ground level on one of the Solaris towers.
On Wednesday, after three months of contemplation, and eighth terms on council – four as mayor – MacLean decided it was time to tell the city he’ll be taking a back seat come November.
He’s ready to pass the baton to someone else, sail out on a high point, you might say.
“The city will never be finished,” says MacLean. There will always be projects to complete, neighbourhoods to transform and funding to lobby for.
“At some point in time, when you are happy with what you’ve done, you have no regrets, you can leave with a clear conscious.”
In November, when he hangs up his chain of office, he intends to go travelling with his fiancée Diana. He’d like to enjoy life and leisurely pursuits when he’s still young and healthy. Frankly, he jokes, there are enough plaques around the city with his name on it.
“I could keep on doing this, but one day they would find me slumped in my chair dead or maybe they would find me after three days and nobody would notice,” MacLean says wryly.
MacLean credits much of what has been accomplished during his 21 years in office to having worked with great council members and an incredible staff who have shared his dedication to the city.
Councillors rarely squabble and seldom disagree these days. MacLean believes it’s because everyone on council is more than just a colleague, they are friends. Coun. Doug Bing is MacLean’s dentist, Gwen O’Connell is his Starbucks companion.
“Friendships always go far beyond politics. It’s the respect you have for each other. After I leave, all these people will still be my friends.”
He hopes the next mayor of Pitt Meadows is member of his council.
“Anyone of my councillors can do this job. It’s not rocket science. It takes common sense. It takes patience.
“And you will see several of the councillors will decide to run for mayor,” says MacLean.
Despite being asked several times before, he won’t be climbing up the political ladder, either. Provincial and federal politics are too vicious for his liking.
“I rather be a small fish in a small pond than anything else. I looked at what Marc Dalton went through. I really felt for him. I would not do well there.”
A boxing enthusiast, and Mike Tyson fan, MacLean likens his exit to leaving while you still hold the championship title.
He heard hundreds of boxers say: Just one more fight.
“They don’t go down in the history books. They are just a foot note. I think politicians can be the same.”
Advice to his successor:
• tell the truth;
• always be honest;
• when half a dozen people show up and they are really unhappy with something at a public hearing, think about the 17,000 that didn’t show up - the people who are largely happy are the silent majority.