LUCAN – The race for mayor in the Township of Lucan Biddulph has begun.
Ward Two representative Paul Hodgins, who has held a seat on council for seven years, announced Friday he will seek the mayor’s chair in 2010.
Current mayor Tom McLaughlin is not seeking re-election, meaning the township will have a new head of council for the first time since 2003.
Hodgins, a 52-year-old cattle farmer, is the first candidate to make his intentions known to the Times-Advocate.
Hodgins said in an interview McLaughlin’s decision to step aside was one reason he decided to run.
“Obviously the position is open,” he said. “I’m not saying that I’m the most qualified man for the job or anything like that. But at this point in my life I have the time to try to do the job, and I’m willing to give it a shot.”
Hodgins said he wouldn’t have run against McLaughlin, whom he referred to as a mentor.
“If you don’t learn under Tom, you can’t learn under anybody,” Hodgins said. “He’s a great teacher and I would never run against him.
“He’s been great for the community and everything else, but at his point in life he’s decided to step down, so somebody has to step up.”
Hodgins said a major issue on the horizon will be new provincial accessibility legislation, which will likely require changes to the township office in Lucan.
“The township office down there is small, and it’s not accessible,” he said. “A new council will have to look at an addition or a new building of the council chambers.”
He said the new council might also have to look at the expansion of the municipal works department, which he considers to be undersized.
Hodgins said he’s spent his entire life in the Lucan area and many people in the community know him.
“I’ve been in the community forever, so I guess it’s one of those cases – if they figure I’m going to do a good job they’ll put me there,” he said. “If they don’t, I guess they’ll vote me out. That’s the way it goes.”