Before his final meeting, Mike Doody quietly stood at a window in council chambers.
Turning around, he scanned the wall displaying pictures of past councils featuring groups of people he’s sat with as a councillor and mayor before looking back out the window at the city he’s served for more than three decades.
“I’m being very honest, I was kind of thinking over in my mind what I should say. And some of the things that I think are of import to the people that know me and what I’ve been through,” said Doody.
By the end of his last meeting as a municipal politician, as its final act, council approved naming a building in his honour.
Soon, the building housing the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre will be known as the Michael “J.J” Doody Centre of Excellence.
“Whoever would have thought that a building would be named after me,” said Doody, after the meeting. “But you know, if it was going to happen, the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre has been so close to my heart. I’m a founding member with some really great people that are still on the board.”
The building also houses the Timmins Economic Development Centre, which he was a founding member of during his time as mayor.
Having a building named after him isn't an honour he expected.
However, he said, it isn't just for him; it’s for his wife and family.
“It’s quite an honour and it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my days,” he said.
Timmins Mayor Steve Black said he has a “tremendous amount of respect” for the contributions of all council members, but noted Doody’s exceptional service.
“And for me there is no better way to end this term and my tenure as mayor than recognizing in an official manner the contributions of one of our greatest citizens of Timmins in the history of our community,” he said.
Black has worked with Doody for eight years, first as fellow councillors until Black took the mayor’s seat.
He said there isn’t a harder working councillor.
“Michael J.J. Doody came into city hall almost every day to check on the issues, senior staff and myself. He chaired more committees than any other councillor, he represented his constituents with passion and a caring nature in wanting to do what’s right. He represented our community and the north with pride, integrity and passion,” said Black.
Doody came to Timmins in 1959 for a job at the radio station.
At that time, he thought he’d be here a couple of years and move on.
“I came very close to going to Windsor, but you know, I ended up staying — best move I ever made all those years I worked at the radio station and moved on up to the television station and put in close to 25 years there,” he said. “I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the work I did in radio, I enjoyed the work I did in television.”
While Nov. 13 was Doody’s final council meeting, it’s likely not the last the community will hear from him.
“Oh, my political career is over. Believe me, I’ve put in my time,” said Doody. “But there’s a couple of people who have approached me who would maybe like to see me stay on a couple of the committees so I’m going through that in my mind and there are some that are quite close to my heart with potential of some project going ahead.”
Now that he’ll have a little more free time, he has an idea of how to spend it.
“We now have five grandchildren and we’re passionate about them, so I think Charlene and I might do a little bit more travelling than we normally do,” he said.
