In Review: Mawhinney Retires After 33 Years As Mayor

In looking back at 2012, the retirement of the venerable Laurence Mawhinney from the office of mayor in Lunenburg was one of the biggest local political changes of the year. The mayor had been in office in one of the province's most-historic towns for 33 years and he decided it was time to go. However, the lure of the old office can be hard to break.



Among his accomplishments, the former mayor says he takes pleasure in being part of the effort to have Lunenburg declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. He's also happy with the apparent political stability he was able to foster in the town over all the years. However, Mawhinney says with his retirement and the retirements of at least two other mayors locally, it became obvious the electorate in last fall's municipal elections wanted change.



These days, former mayor Mawhinney and his wife Marion are continuing their team ministry at several Lunenburg and area Presbyterian churches with the past life at the mayor's office always not far away.