A productive eight years for one Windsor city councillor has come to a close on a key city board.
Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac, the vice-chairman of the Windsor Police Services Board, sat for her final meeting on Friday. City council voted to replace her on the board with Ward 3 Councillor Rino Bortolin.
Gignac told reporters after the meeting that she wanted to continue with the police board, but her council colleagues, who have the authority to vote on such appointments, felt it was time for a change.
"It's part of the course for all the different committees that council does serve on," said Gignac. "It was a privilege and it certainly was a learning experience."
Both Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, the police board chairman and Chief Al Frederick praised Gignac for her thorough work on the board over the past eight years near the conclusion of the board meeting Friday.
Gignac said she has had the opportunity to have a say in some of the more pressing decisions concerning the Windsor Police Service, and that she's grateful to have been able to do that work up to the end.
"I've had the privilege of going through the search for the current police chief and the deputy chiefs, participated in a number of the contractual agreements and I think there's been a dramatic change here," said Gignac.
The search for a new police chief is ongoing since Frederick is retiring this year, but that will be handled by Bortolin. If there is any advice Gignac has for her council colleague in his new gig, it's to do his homework.
"Get prepared to interact with those around the table and to get your Police Service Act out and read through it," said Gignac.
