Mayor, three councillors won't be part of new council

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It was a night of heartfelt thanks and congratulations as Moncton city council sat for the last time last night.

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RON WARD/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

Councillor Merrill Henderson makes a joke with Councillor Doug Robertson during opening remarks last night during the last Moncton City Council meeting before the newly elected council is sworn in. In the background is Councillor Rene (Pepsi) Landry. Robertson will not be returning to council.

Mayor Lorne Mitton, along with councillors Doug Robertson, Steve Mitton and Louisa Barton-Duguay, won't be returning to council when it reconvenes in two weeks.

"It's been a tremendous group to work with," says Steve Mitton. "We've had our differences but it was those differences that made us strong."

Mitton says for him it's been a short four years. He says he will miss the work, but most of all he will miss the people he worked with.

In saying that, Mitton made mention of councillor Norm Crossman, who passed away earlier this year.

But above all, it was a last goodbye for mayor Lorne Mitton, who chose not to re-offer. Mitton was celebrated among his fellow councillors, who at one point stood to toast their "chief."

"You were the glue that kept us together," said councillor Steve Boyce. "It took someone like you to cement three levels of government and get funding for many projects that otherwise this city may not have seen."

Councillor Kathryn Barnes says it was Mitton's non-confrontational approach that helped get things done.

Mitton also offered his own take on the past four years.

"A mayor has one voice," he said. "It takes all of us to pull together. There is no one on this council that didn't have unbelievable dedication to this city. That's why Moncton is the great city that it is."