Photo supplied by the City of Grande Prairie.

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Given marks last council meeting as Mayor

Dec 14, 2020 | 9:04 PM

Monday’s city council meeting marked the last for Bill Given as Grande Prairie’s Mayor.

“A lot of mixed emotions and I’m sure that if I think too hard about it right now, I would probably get very, very emotional,” said Given, following Monday’s meeting.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to serve my community in the way that I have. I’m very grateful to the community members who have invited me in to their community celebrations, their cultural celebrations, and who’ve been willing to share their knowledge and wisdom with me over the years.”

Given is Grande Prairie’s longest-serving Mayor, spending just over 10 years in the job. He is leaving the Mayor’s office at the end of the year to take on the Chief Administrative Officer post with the Municipality of Jasper.

He says there have been lots of big moments over that time.

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“I would say that I’ve shared every one of those big successes with my council colleagues, city administration, and the community members who helped drive projects forward,” recalled Given.

“There are obviously milestones that I remember, but that I wouldn’t take any credit for. Things like opening the Eastlink Centre, the downtown improvement program, the opening of new parks across the city.”

Given also points to working with other people in the community to get a new hospital, new schools, and working towards degree-granting status for Grande Prairie Regional College as highlights from his time as Mayor.

“I’m very comfortable in the fact that I’ve done my best to leave the city a better place than when I started on city council. I think that is mission accomplished, but I know that the city’s best days are still in front of it and I’m excited to see what lies in Grande Prairie’s future.”

Given passed George Repka for the longest tenure as Grande Prairie Mayor in October.