By GLENDA McCARTHY,
the Georgian
Only eight people have served as mayor since Stephenville officially became a town 50 years ago.
The late Tom Rose was the first mayor, when the town was incorporated in 1952. The only surviving member from the first town council, Donald Tompkins, was also the first deputy mayor in 1952.
Other members of the first council were: Leo Bruce, Albert Shave, Bernard Aucoin, Alex Gillis and George Wells.
"I was one of the pioneer movers for the incorporation of the town," says Mr. Tompkins.
"We saw the great need for the town to be incorporated, mostly for water and sewage services and other services. So in 1951, we had meetings with the provincial affairs department and they set up the town and elections. Eighteen people ran for council that year. Tom Rose came first and I believe I was third."
Once the council was set, the next thing they did was make certain services available.
"For the first four years of the council under Mr. Rose's chairmanship, we didn't have any engineering services or consultants and had to ask the U.S .base for help. The first thing we set up was garbage collection and disposal. Then we set up street lighting on Main Street and snow clearing for the side streets because the government plowed Main Street."
The Department of Municipal Affairs sent out an engineer who surveyed the town, located a water supply source and drew up the plans for a chlorinated water system and a sewage system with sewage outfall.
"Once the water system was set up, they delivered water to 1,000 businesses and homes and our budget for the water and sewage installation was $600,000. The water and sewage installations took place mostly in 1952 and 1953," says Mr. Tompkins.
"In 52-54, storm sewage and sidewalks were installed on Main Street. Once this was completed, by mid 1953, the provincial government gave us a grant of $75,000 and we paved the street from the U.S. base security gate to Gaultois Brook for a distance of one and 1/4 miles. The first year's budget was $10,000 from the government but once the water and sewage installation was put in place, each household paid $4 a month for water and sewage services."
Mr. Tompkins says his main memories of his time on the first council is providing services to the people of Stephenville.
"The completion of the water and sewage installation along with the pavement, street lights and garbage collection for the first four years, made the mayor and all the councilors feel happy with the amount we did. But also we always got good help from the U.S. government who had engineering services and knowledge to help us do the work."
Mr. Tompkins was also on the 1957-61 council when Leo Bruce was mayor.
"Leo Bruce picked up where Mr. Rose left off and carried out his duties with the same enthusiasm. He also wasn't paid but the council was set up with small committees to do a study of the different projects and bring recommendations to the town. He continued with more water and sewage installations and considerable more pavement.
"He was a hard working man, dedicated like the first mayor and was more aggressive to get things done. He made sure to get the government to help us with the pavement."
Alex Gillis was the mayor from 1961-65. Jean Fowlow was Stephenville's only female mayor to date. She was mayor from 1970-74. She was followed by Jim Campbell who took over in 1974-77.
Mr. Campbell says that both Mr. Gillis and Ms. Fowlow had to deal with the closure of the base.
"Well, I think they both had to deal with the economic downturn that occurred because the base closed in 1966. It was a very difficult time for them because a lot of people left the area to go to Fort McMurray, Goose Bay and Labrador City and they had to deal with a tragically declined tax base. It was very difficult for them to administer the town during that period. They just held the line. They had no choice because they had very little income and really couldn't do very much."
Mr. Campbell's term as mayor was a little different.
"We had a shortened schedule and one of the main things of my term was the amalgamation of Harmon into Stephenville. Harmon used to be a separate entity; and that occurred in the spring of 1974. So when that happened, they had an election and I was elected into the council and the council chose me to be mayor."
Mr. Campbell remembers one event in particular from his term as Mayor.
"One of the highlights was in the summer of 1975 when we hosted the Newfoundland Summer Games."
Kevin Walsh was mayor for a total of 16 years. He held office for the 1965-69 term as well as three consecutive terms from 1977-89. During that time, both the mayor and councilors volunteered their time.
"For the first number of years, it was a volunteer thing. You didn't get paid, you just put your time in, did your work and that was it. Most people were real volunteers because they spent hours and hours at their work."
The volunteers had their hands full during Mr. Walsh's first term in office dealing with a pivotal event impacting on the town.
"Well, one of the biggest things during my term of office was the closure of the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, which was a very trying and difficult time for all the people of Stephenville - most of all, elected officials, because all we could do at the time was try to create something and with the help of Mr. Smallwood's government, we did create a lot."
Mr. Walsh says the closing of the base was a very difficult time and resulted in the creation of the Harmon Corporation.
"Under the provincial government they created a group called the Harmon Corporation... the Mayor of Stephenville was on the board and our responsibility was trying to replace the 1,200 jobs that were lost," he says.
"I think after a few years, we had created something like 2,000 or more jobs, but they were simple to create. We moved the hospital from Stephenville Crossing and that was several hundred jobs and the upgrading school that was put in by the provincial government for retraining people was another several hundred jobs. So we did quite a few things, and I think very successfully."
There were quite a few other things the town of Stephenville accomplished during that time as well.
"All the programming that you see happening now was planned 20 years ago. Everything you see - the trees, the pavement, the water system - all that was planned 20 years ago. The thing about it is we were all as poor as church mice, we didn't have any money and we wouldn't go ahead. Right now the ones who are in office are spending like drunken sailors and they don't have any money either," Mr. Walsh said with a chuckle.
"But all the planning was done and we had projections for about 20 years on how we would beautify the town, create new services and all the other things. One of the things that we never got around to - and we never got around to yet - is the sewage disposal system which I think is probably the one that is most important. But we just didn't have money to do things like that, you're talking about millions of dollars."
Mr. Walsh says there was one thing he wished he did differently when he was in office.
"One of the things I have a great regret about is when the Harmon Corporation was born, they had all of the powers of government and could have done quite a few things but we were new at the game and we didn't know exactly what was happening. But we should have sold off all the housing property to the people around Stephenville," he says.
"Had we done that in 1969, we would have been much better off because now it is all being sold by the provincial government. They're doing now what we should have done 40 years ago."
Although Mr. Walsh has some regrets, he believes that their administration was a great success.
"I'm quite happy with my performance and the other members of council. I think we had a very tight ship and did a very good job."
Cec Stein took over as mayor in 1989, remaining in office until 2001 when he resigned. He was replaced by Scott Hurley for six months.
"I enjoyed being mayor for the six months I was," says Mr. Hurley.
"Being deputy mayor for the past number of years kind of prepared me for the job as mayor, and so when I took over as mayor it was quite easy for me to fill the role.
"Whether it was carrying out specific functions or representing the town at different events, the job of deputy mayor really prepared me. When I actually took over the job I had to handle more chores but it wasn't a burden because I had been doing some of the responsibilities in the mayor's chair in my capacity of deputy mayor. But overall, it was a wonderful experience and was a pleasure to represent the town of Stephenville."
Mr. Stein regained his title as mayor later that same year when he was elected to a fourth term, and he is the current mayor. He says that he really understands how the town works.
"Well, after 13 years on the job, you begin to understand how the town works much easier and the fact that we have completed a lot of things makes life a little easier. You always have the day to day routine and that never changes, it's just different people with different problems that we have an obligation to solve for them, but outside of that, there's not much difference."
Mr. Stein says that his job hasn't changed that much in the years he has been mayor.
"The job really hasn't changed. You still have a certain amount of ceremonial functions you have to attend every year, they expect you to attend," he says.
"I guess in my case I am more of a hands on mayor in the fact that we don't have a full time engineering department so I work closer with our consultants and with council to keep them up to date on our engineering functions. So, it's changed in that point of view because first when I was here we had a five person engineering department so I more or less take on more of that work load."
While the job hasn't changed, the mayor says that people's expectations are definitely different now.
"They are, in a sense, because with the help of the community, the business section and all the citizens, we made such a improvement in beautification and upgrading the town that people now expect to continue to do this, which 12 years ago it wasn't even taken into consideration. So, with that, they expect us to continue to carry on with the beautification."
The current members of Stephenville Town Council were elected in September, 2001. From left, Scott Hurley, Laura Aylward, Tim Alexander, Barry Wilton, Mike Tobin, Darren Roberts, and in front Mayor Cec Stein.