All good things must come to an end.
For Vauxhall town Coun. Clay Farnsworth, the time has come to retrieve his hat from the municipal political ring.
The former RCMP officer has decided not to seek a second term as an incumbent for town council in the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 18.
Juggling a new career as a corporate advisor and his council responsibilities has proven unfeasible, admitted Farnsworth.
“Initially, I thought I could handle both the new career and council, however Flint Energy requires that I travel most of the time and several weeks I leave Monday and return home Friday.  I found that this was not keeping me in touch with the community nor was it fair to the ratepayers, as I had missed several meetings due to travel. So, to be fair to the ratepayers I felt I had no choice but to step down.”
The choice to step down was not made without some reluctance.
“There is no question that I will miss my role and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even through the frustrating parts,” said Farnsworth.
With regards to his service on council, Farnsworth will be leaving with mixed feelings.
“There was limited satisfaction during my term as councilor. Did we get everything accomplished that we would have liked to, I would have to say no. I know that personally I would have liked to clear up some old issues and maybe press forward with some new issues but I learned that there are more outside factors that apply than what I realized in the past. That in itself was an eye opener. Overall, I am pleased with what we accomplished.”
Elected service, especially on the local council level, is almost exclusively a team effort.
“I don’t believe any one councilor can take credit for any of the accomplishments,” said Farnsworth. “You may spearhead an idea or bring something to the forefront but ultimately you are only one vote and it takes council as a team to finish it. I felt we had an excellent council with very diverse backgrounds and beliefs. It was this diversity that made us strong.”
The municipal political experience has led Farnsworth to holster many criticisms he made previously about the processes of government.
“I guess what I will take from my time on council is a better appreciation as to how slow the wheels of politics actually turn. I could never figure out why governments can’t make a decision and get it done but I now have a better understanding of that. I can only imagine how slow it is at provincial or federal levels but it gives me a new appreciation as to how frustrated our leaders at those levels must be.”
Farnsworth is grateful to all the constituents who have supported him in the past.
“I would like to thank all the residents who believed in me three years ago when I decided to run for council and because of their support I feel I will come away with a new appreciation for those who will follow in my footsteps. I would also like to thank all current council members and the staff from the Town of Vauxhall for the past three years not only in helping and supporting me in my role but also for all of their hard work. I think we have a great community and with some forethought we can only make it better.”
For future councillors or those considering stepping into the role in October, Farnsworth gave some parting words of advice.
“I would encourage people to take a serious look at what they have to offer and go for it. Too many people feel they are not right for the role but have never given it a chance,” said Farnsworth.
“It may be your experiences or visions as to where the town should be in 10 years that is needed on council. I will say though that it is a big time commitment.”