When Bob Campbell took a job as deputy clerk-treasurer with Nottawasaga Township in 1965, at the tender age of 23, the municipality’s administration staff numbered two – Campbell and his new boss, clerk-treasurer Harry Little – and the pair put in their days working at desks in the garage of Little’s Glen Huron home.
At the end of April, Campbell will officially retire from his position as clerk of Clearview Township, the municipality that was created when Nottawasaga amalgamated with the towns of Creemore and Stayner and the Township of Sunnidale.
Over the 48 years between those two milestones, Campbell has witnessed this area transform from a purely agricultural community to one with a diverse mix of old-timers, newcomers and weekenders, and watched municipal politics change from a situation where local people were primarily making decisions about local issues to one where higher levels of government have much more involvement.
He’s also, over the years, “met many excellent people,” he says. That includes, he stresses, the great majority of politicians he’s worked with. While they may have had different styles of working, and while some lasted longer than others, they all tried to do their best for the municipality they served.
A native of Glen Huron, Campbell worked for the Toronto Dominion Bank and Kauffman’s Furniture before taking the job with Nottawasaga Township. When Harry Little retired in 1972, Campbell replaced him as clerk-treasurer. By that time, Nottawasaga’s municipal staff had moved into the old Duntroon School, and Council had begun meeting in the same building (in the old days, Little and Campbell had to lug all of their files from Glen Huron to the Nottawasaga Community Centre for Council’s monthly meeting).
Campbell saw many changes over the years, but none so huge as the 1996 amalgamation of the four original municipalities. Most were wary of the move – in fact, the Councils of Nottawasaga, Sunnidale and Creemore had publicly stated their opposition – and no one was quite sure how smooth the transition would be, especially with all four Councils (totalling 23 members) meeting jointly for the first year. The four clerk-treasurers divvied up their work once they’d all moved into the old Stayner Town Hall, with Campbell taking the clerk’s position, the Sunnidale representative taking the administrator’s position, Stayner’s representative becoming the treasurer and Creemore’s representative taking on the relatively new role of planner. Together, the four of them managed to merge all four staffs, with every employee landing either their first or second preference when it came to their new role.
“Those were interesting times,” remembers Campbell. “We all had a lot to learn, but I think it all worked out alright.”
These days, though he says he still slips up and says the words “Nottawasaga Township” during the odd Council meeting, Campbell has come fully around to the concept of Clearview Township. So it was a tough decision to retire – though he’s been at peace with it since making the announcement, he says.
He and his wife Betty have four grandchildren, aged six to 17, who all live close by. Campbell says he’s looking forward to making it to all of their hockey games next winter. Summers will be ideal for impromptu camping trips with their fifth wheel trailer. And what Campbell is perhaps looking forward to most, as a confessed political junkie, is watching a municipal election from the comfort of his couch for a change. “I really enjoy watching the provincial and federal elections, but I’m always so busy during the municipal ones,” he laughs, before adding a final assessment of his 48 years of municipal service.
“It’s been a good life,” he says, and you can tell he means it.