After serving as Ashland’s mayor for nine years, Glen Stewart will be stepping down from his position effective Jan. 21. 

“It’s time,” Mayor Stewart stated simply when asked his reasoning for retirement, saying the increasing demands from the job were becoming more difficult to handle.

Following the announcement of his retirement, Ashland’s city council began to search for a replacement for Stewart.

Until the position is vacant at midnight Jan. 21, city council cannot appoint someone to fill the position, although the probable candidate is retired Ashland firefighter and city councilman, Duane Fishpaw.

As an Ashland native and life long Ashland citizen, Fishpaw went into the service for four years before joining the fire department in Ashland for 31 years. After his retirement from firefighting he became a city council member and has been in that position for the past five years. 

Since the time of Mayor Stewart’s retirement announcement and becoming the probable candidate, Fishpaw has stuck close to the mayor’s side in hopes of creating a smooth transition come Jan. 21.

“I am finding out how busy the mayor really is, but it has been very smooth so far,” said Fishpaw. “We’ve done almost everything together and I have been trying to attend everything that he does which usually means a number of meetings everyday. There is just a lot of transition that I was not aware of and it’s a constant movement and I am trying to learn everything I can in a short period of time.”

Although both Stewart and Fishpaw are doing everything they can to make the switch in office as easy as possible, Stewart says there is never an easy time to step down.

“I am finding there is never really a good time to leave office,” said Stewart. “There are so many continuing projects and continuing things to investigate and its like a moving target, but I am attempting to do all that I can so I do not leave him with a wall that he cannot climb. But we are going to get through it.”

Stewart said he believes that council’s decision was the right one in choosing Fishpaw as the probable candidate, and since he is coming off city council, he will be able to work with them very well throughout the transition and at the start of his time in office.

According to Stewart, making the decision to remain in office until Jan. 21 was strategic as he wanted to keep moving forward with the issues that were passed in the 2016 Election including that of the police division and of the improvement of Ashland’s roadways. It is also in Fishpaw’s plan to focus on those issues early in his time in office. 

“It has been a long road to try and get those levies passed and those issues are important for me to focus on initially,” Fishpaw said. “It has been really wonderful that the citizens of Ashland voted for those levies so we can get working on that and do as much with the money as we can.”

Although his time as Ashland’s mayor has come to an end, Stewart plans to continue working with the community even after leaving the office.

“Saturday afternoon, when I walk out of the office on the 21st, I will be working, just like I do everyday, for the benefit of the community, that is just the way I am,” Stewart said.

Stewart said after his departure, he hopes the community will support Fishpaw and continue to do things that support the Ashland community.

“The city won’t miss a lick, the businesses won’t miss a lick when people step down,” Stewart said. “You just have to remember, we are a spoke in the wheel and the wheel will keep turning.”