The mayor of Milton was re-elected for a 13th term on Monday night, ensuring his reign as the incumbent the longest serving mayor in the country’s history.
According to the unofficial election results, 81-year-old Gordon Krantz was re-elected mayor of Milton with 81.63 per cent of the votes.
“Eighty-two per cent is really a vote of confidence, that’s what it is,” Krantz told CTV News Toronto.
Krantz was first elected as mayor in 1980 after serving 15 years as city councillor. After being re-elected in 2014, Krantz surpassed retired Hazel McCallion’s public service record as the longest serving mayor in Canada.
While Krantz does say that he is wearing McCallion’s “crown,” he has his eye on another one of her service records.
“Hazel was three months short of being 94 when she retired. Now, I’m 81 years young, so I still have a long ways to go,” he said.
Despite his political achievements, Krantz said that he will most likely be remembered by his constituents for his jellybean jars, which sit in his office as a treat for school groups touring Milton’s town hall.
“So there’s two generations that have been voting for me now, because they remember the jellybean jar and I’ve had it in my office here from day one,” he said. “If I’m never remembered for anything else, it will be the mayor that’s had the jellybean jar.”
