“I’m still feeling really good about it,”
That’s from former PG mayor Lyn Hall about his decision to step down ahead of last month’s municipal election.
Last night (Monday), the city’s new mayor Simon Yu and the rest of council were sworn in during a ceremony.
Hall told MyPGNow.com watching the ceremony felt a little bittersweet, but civic politics have been a big part of his life.
“I was thinking about council last night (Monday) being sworn in, and I have been apart of those swearing-in ceremonies since 2001 – that’s 20-plus years. It feels bittersweet but I still feel really good about my decision and feel comfortable with it.”
Hall started his career in municipal politics in 2001 when after winning a seat as a School District 57 Trustee, spending 10 years on the board.
In 2011, he successfully ran for City Council and went on to win the Mayor’s seat in 2014 and 2018.
Other memorable highlights include the 2015 Canada Winter Games, and the 2022 World Women’s Curling Championship.
Hall also was one of the driving forces during the 2017 BC Wildfires, opening the door for evacuees in 100 Mile House and Williams Lake to come and stay for much of the summer season.
At its peak, PG had 11 thousand extra people living within city limits due to the blazes, many of whom were taken in by those who graciously offered their homes to those impacted.
However, it hasn’t been all rosy in the mayor’s chair for Hall.
He, along with the rest of council and city staff faced relentless criticism for how the George Street parkade project was handled.
The parkade was approved in tandem with a housing project in 2017, which eventually came to a price tag of over 34 million.
In December, an independent report found the final cost for the George Street Parkade was $22,458,437.
The original estimated cost was $12.6 million.
Hall admitted issues like that along with a pandemic sandwiched in, took its toll on him over the last two years.
However, he is not fading off into the sunset one bit.
“I think I do have lots to offer. I am not going to disappear. We are not leaving Prince George, I don’t think I will ever leave Prince George. I had an opportunity to see the city from a lot of different aspects. I am not leaving, I am sticking around to do stuff in the community,” added Hall.
“There are a number of things I really want to do. I am interested in dealing with what is happening throughout the municipalities I worked closely with, the mayors that didn’t run. We all remain a close group and we are interested in doing something.”