he Town of Shawville will soon have new leadership following the resignation of Mayor Bill McCleary.
McCleary announced his decision at the conclusion of Tuesday night’s regular council meeting and officially submitted his resignation to the Town of Shawville office this afternoon.
Deputy Mayor Richard Armitage will assume the role of interim mayor until a municipal by-election is held to elect McCleary’s successor.
A lifelong resident of Shawville, McCleary has spent nearly 65 years in the Pontiac community. Before entering municipal politics, he owned and operated Bean’s Service Station for more than a decade, worked for nearly 30 years at the Smurfit-Stone pulp mill in nearby Litchfield until its closure in 2008, and later served as a letter carrier with Canada Post.
McCleary’s journey to the mayor’s office included several chapters. He first served as a town councillor from 2013 to 2017 before narrowly losing the 2017 mayoral election by just 16 votes. He returned to council through a 2018 by-election following the passing of a fellow councillor and was elected mayor in 2021 after then-Mayor Sandra Murray chose not to seek re-election due to health concerns.
In 2025, McCleary secured a second term, earning more than 65 per cent of the vote over challenger Linda Davis.
During his time as mayor, McCleary often described himself as a “people person” focused on finding practical solutions for Shawville’s challenges. Among his priorities were addressing the financial pressures surrounding the community arena and planning for improvements to the town’s aging water infrastructure.
The Town of Shawville is expected to announce further details regarding the municipal by-election in the coming weeks.
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