Kevin (Moonie) Mullins has been the mayor of Schreiber for nearly one year now following the tragic death of former mayor Dave Hamilton.

On the eve of his first year anniversary in the big chair, Kim Krause from the Schreiber Media Centre sat down with Moonie to get an update on how things are going in town and if he has any plans for another term.

Affectionately known as Moonie since anyone can remember, Kevin threw his hat in the race for a shot at being on council in the 2018 municipal election. He easily sailed to top place and as a result became the deputy mayor by majority of votes counted. Kim Krause had also ran that year and was right behind Mr. Mullins in second place. There will be another election this fall as the fourth and final year comes to an end.

Kevin was born in Schreiber and spent almost all his life here. He is passionate about the place he calls home and takes his role as mayor very seriously for the most part. He was formerly an employee with the Public Works department and retired after 39 years. He had thought about running for council to try and see if he could be part of getting the town back on track. He had no idea that he would end up being the mayor. Former mayor Dave Hamilton had been mentoring Kevin since day one on council and even today Moonie feels like the former mayor is still guiding him in the everyday duties that he is proud to perform. Humbly he admits that he was not elected to his current position and feels he always has to earn the seat he now occupies. For the majority of the last two years or half the entire term, council has been operating in the shadow of a pandemic. Quite clearly this has been no ordinary term.

As anyone who has ever been in a municipal council can tell you, there is nothing that can prepare for the job at hand. Everything is new and slightly terrifying when you first realize the burdens being placed on your shoulders. The constant balance between doing what is possible, versus what is needed combined with financial responsibility in spending tax payers dollars can be a huge weight to carry around. Moonie would like to see a day when Schreiber can return a bit to its former glory days, but realizes that growth will only happen with industry and infrastructure. With more people working working from home and more people leaving larger urban areas, that day may arrive in the no too distant future.

Refreshingly Mr. Mullins also sees art and culture in general as a potential tool for economic development. The latest mural project in Schreiber has been fully endorsed by the mayor and as he mentions, it is not often necessary to focus only on big budget projects. Small changes can make big differences and as funding is becoming harder to find, he might have the right idea. Of course big projects are inevitable in a town with failing infrastructure. Water and sewage systems are nearly half a century old and will soon need to be upgraded, sidewalks are practically non existent in most parts of town and attracting investment is an ongoing problem for all small rural communities. 

Moonie has embraced his new role admirably and so the obvious question was to ask if he would consider running for mayor in the upcoming election. With an Irish twinkle in his eyes, he admits that it is not out of the question but he is aware that the role of mayor in any municipality takes a lot of determination and energy and often those efforts go unnoticed. It looks like we are headed for a very interesting year ahead.