Happy Valley-Goose Bay Mayor Jamie Snook won't be on ballot in September

A new mayor will be taking over in Happy Valley-Goose Bay when municipal elections are held across the province this fall.

Current Mayor Jamie Snook, who was first elected in 2013, has decided he's ready to step aside and let someone else take over the job.

Snook told CBC's Labrador Morning Show that he thought long and hard about the decision, but he was happy with his time in the chair and felt it was the right time to move on.

"At the end of the day I was really proud of the contribution that I made along with the council," he said.

"I know that the town is in very good shape right now, so that left me content and proud and I felt like it was now the time for me to step aside and let somebody else step up and continue the fight for our community."

Busy 4 years

Snook was a political rookie when he ran for mayor in 2013, and says he knew it was a critical time for Happy Valley-Goose Bay with the Muskrat Falls project on the horizon and worry about what the future would bring.

Since being elected, he's had a full slate — including dealing with Nalcor over Muskrat Falls, changing the property tax regime and a municipal lockout.

"We didn't have a mayor and a council [back then] that cared about quality of life and community infrastructure," he said. "I was worried we wouldn't even recognize this town at the end of the Muskrat Falls project if we didn't refocus on reinvesting in the town."

Snook said he's learned a lot over the last four years, and if he had his time back wouldn't necessarily make different decisions, but maybe would have gone about making them a little differently.

"When you're in this role, the range of emotions you experience within yourself internally and with the public, there's certainly ways things can be done better," he said.

"But you have to not avoid those tough decisions, and I hope the next council will see things the same way."