He's been involved in South Shore politics for nearly 4 decades but now, John Leefe says its time to go. The Mayor of the District of Queens tells us he will not reoffer for another term when municipal elections are held this October. The mayor says he decided some time ago its time for fresh ideas and younger blood at the helm. He says he's been warned though not to use an over-used term to explain why he's leaving.
"Nancy (my wife) told me sometime ago that if at my age and after 35 years, if I told people I was leaving public life to spend more time with my family, she would kill me! Seriously though, its just time, time for both of us personally to move on and its time for fresh faces to come along and move us into the future."Leefe was a member of the provincial legislature for 20 years representing Queens and was a cabinet minister in several portfolios in the government of former premier John Buchanan. He served on the province's Executive Council as Minister of Fisheries from 1983 to 1989, Minister of the Environment from 1989 to 1992 and Minister of Natural Resources from 1992 to 1993. Leefe also served as government house leader in 1991. He was elected Mayor of the District of Queens in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 and 2008. In 2010 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities. He has served on the National and Provincial Round Tables on the Environment and Economy and in 2011 was appointed to the Nova Scotia Round Table on the Environment and Sustainable Prosperity. In 2002 he was granted the degree of Doctor of Civil Law by the University of King's College. He is also an author and a former school teacher.