Michael Power is being remembered for not only working tirelessly for Geraldton and Greenstone, but for the entirety of Northwestern Ontario.
Power, 70, died on Thursday at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, leaving behind a legacy that few politicians will ever surpass. That's what those who worked with the longtime former Geraldton and Greenstone mayor, who combined to serve the two communities for more than 30 years, said upon learning of his death.
Greenstone Coun. Armand Giguere didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Power, a man he’s known for more than 30 years, as a teacher, rookie politician and champion of the North. But he respected what Power accomplished.
“Michael was very mission-oriented. He had a vision and he did what he had to do to get there,” Giguere said.
“I didn’t always agree with Michael’s way of doing things and how he approached things, but I always respected the fact that he believed in what he wanted. He had a vision, he had a reason for it and he brought the troops together – and somehow he got it done.”
First elected as mayor of Geraldton in 1976, Power was born in Montreal and moved to Ottawa in 1969. He eventually made his way north to teach, landing in the tiny northern community where he quickly became involved in municipal affairs.
In 2001 Power helped oversee the creation of Greenstone, which amalgamated Beardmore, Nakina, Caramat, MacDiarmid and Orient Bay, Longlac, Jellioe and Geraldton.
It was the move he said he received the most criticism for in his career, but added it was also the best and most important decision he ever helped make.
“It was an amalgamation that brought together communities in the Greenstone areas. It meant we could pay the bills. We could afford to pay for the services that our citizens wants and they deserved,” Power told tbnewswatch.com in September 2010, after announcing he wouldn’t seek another term as Geraldton’s mayor.
He left municipal politics to devote his time to taking care of his first love, wife Marilyn, who had been seriously injured three months earlier in an accident that saw the family vehicle roll into a ditch near Stoddard Township.
During his political heyday, Power spent three terms at the head of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and three more as the president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.
Coun. Ken Boshcoff, elected AMO president in 2002 in his then role as mayor of Thunder Bay, said he got to know Power quite well, often sharing ideas together as they forged separate, but similar political paths.
“Michael was a real champion in terms of showing the value of working as a team for Northwestern Ontario, and also the necessity of sending focused messages and constantly lobbying Queen’s Park in particular,” Boshcoff said.
“He was effective and really left a very large legacy.”
Schreiber Mayor Don McArthur called it a sad day for Northwestern Ontario.
“Mayor Power was a tremendous leader who worked tirelessly on so may issues. He was great to work with. You always knew exactly where you stood with Michael,” said McArthur, who looked up to Power as a politician.
“I have a personal thank you for Michael. As I became a new mayor, a number of times when we were traveling together and whatnot, he wouldn’t hesitate to take me aside and says, ‘You know, as mayor you may want to do this or do that.’ He was a tremendous mentor and he’ll certainly be missed throughout Northwestern Ontario.”
Even when he knew it was time to go, Power had a hard time releasing the reins. Greenstone and Geraldton were in his blood for nearly four decades, and his passion showed in just about everything he did.
“Would I like to stick around?” he said of his pending retirement. “You always want to stick around, but there is always a time to move on and you need to realize I have given, I have done what I can.”
Funeral arrangements in Geraldton are pending.
