After 46 years in office, 39 as mayor of Port McNeill, Gerry Furney said it felt "a little bit different" to watch from the sidelines as British Columbia's recent municipal elections unfolded.
But Mr. Furney, one of Canada's longest-serving mayors when he retired and was officially replaced after last month's civic elections, said he had no regrets.
"One thing I've got going for me is I'm very realistic," he said with the Irish brogue that's stuck with him since he arrived in Canada as an immigrant 58 years ago.
"Even an 81-year-old has to say some time, 'It's time to take it easy and hand over things to the young guys.' And my [replacement, Shirley Ackland] is just a fantastic person to work with and she'll be just a great, great mayor."
Mr. Furney moved to Port McNeill before it was a town, arriving at the Union Steamship dock in 1956 looking for work at the logging camp. He stretched the truth a bit, saying he was experienced driving logging trucks in Ireland, and got a job.
He was elected as a member of the community's first council in 1966, serving for seven years before becoming mayor for nearly four decades.
Mr. Furney was defeated only once municipally, losing by one vote in the early 1970s when he sought re-election after his first term as mayor. Three years later, he got back in and held the job continuously until deciding not to run again this year.
Because each province keeps its own records, it is difficult to determine who Canada's longest-serving mayors are. But it appears Mr. Furney's 39 years rank second, behind John Hamlyn, 82, who has been the mayor of Crow Head, Nfld., for 51 years and just ahead of Hazel McCallion, 93, who retired this fall after 36 years as mayor of Mississauga.
After Port McNeill's new council is sworn in, Mr. Furney says he'll keep busy by spending more time with his grandkids.
"And I'll be going to Ireland in the spring to polish up my accent, because it's fading," he adds.
Mr. Furney said over the years he's often been asked by younger politicians what advice he'd offer, and they are usually surprised by the answer.
"The most important thing anyone who has eyes on political management can do is read the newspapers," he says. "From day one, long before Port McNeill became a municipality … I became a subscriber to every single newspaper on Vancouver Island. By reading the newspapers, I had a good sense all the way along who was doing what to whom, of what government department could be helpful with the communities."
Mr. Furney said he combed the news for information about how other Vancouver Island towns were working with provincial and federal governments, and made sure Port McNeill was never left out.
His other tip: "If anyone ever phones me for an interview or with a question, I always answer."
Mr. Furney says you might not win over your critics, but if you answer their questions, at least they'll understand your position, and might just come around.
"I guess my other big piece of advice is to maintain a strong relationship with resource industries. Know how they are managed and why they are managed in the way that they are and how they can work with the local community," he said. "I've been preaching from day one, municipally, provincially, federally – work with your industries. Make sure they behave themselves and that you actually are supporting them, in any practical way you can, to make sure their businesses are a success."
Mr. Furney said as a former logger it was easy for him to relate to the forest industry, which drives the economy in Port McNeill, but he also strove to support the mining industry, aquaculture, commercial fishing and tourism so that his small community had a strong, diverse economy.
And under his guidance, he said, the town never lived above its means.
"I've likened managing a municipality to managing your family. You've got to have your long-term plans, you've got to have the ability to take advantage of opportunities that come along [but] you've got to be realistic about where the money actually comes from."
Mr. Furney said that when he first got aboard the steamship SS Catala in Vancouver, bound for an unknown, isolated logging camp near the north end of Vancouver Island, he was just looking for adventure.
Instead, he found a home. And for most his life, he has been its loyal servant.