Foothills County council is offering a moment of silence at its meeting this week in honour of a councillor and former reeve, who passed unexpectedly.
Larry Spilak, councillor for Div. 6 in Foothills County, died early in the morning Nov. 6 after battling cancer over the past few years.
He is fondly remembered by his fellow councillors and County administration.
Spilak joined council in 2007 as a councillor and spent nine of his years with the County as reeve, stepping down from the head chair in October 2019 but still serving his division's residents.
"He generously provided his time and business experience to the County in the promotion and creation of recreation facilities, a full-time fire service, and many other projects and services now provided in the County," CAO Ryan Payne wrote in an email tribute.
"We will be forever grateful of his time spent serving the residents of Foothills County and for the support he has always provided to staff."
He added the Scott Seaman Sports Rink at DeWinton and the Crescent Point Regional Fieldhouse at Aldersyde are both part of the legacy left behind by Spilak, as he was integral in the development of each facility.
While he admired the diversity of the entire County, Spilak always kept a watchful eye on Div. 6, where Payne said "his constituents adored him."He was a huge supporter of the work done by the municipality and a stern believer that staff is the heart of the organization, he said.
"He was a champion of the County, a trusted colleague and a dear friend," said Payne in an interview. "It was just always a pleasure working with him. He had such a strong business acumen and understanding of what working in a team environment involved."
Working as a team extended beyond the council table and administration to surrounding municipalities as well, where Spilak spent many years fostering strong relationships, he said.
Most notably, Spilak always showed respect and dignity in every undertaking, he said.
"He was always just super respectful of staff, respectful of his fellow councillors, respectful of our neighbours," said Payne. "He was a straight-shooter. You never had to really wonder what he was thinking; you always knew what was on his mind, and it's easier to work with a person like that. But he did it respectfully. He wasn't rude about it."
Municipal manager Harry Riva Cambrin echoed the sentiment, noting there was only one item over 13 years he and Spilak chose to "agree to disagree" on, which was also handled with respect and an understanding of one another's positions as councillor and administration.
"We moved on and certainly he always respected what my job was and I respected what his role was," said Riva Cambrin.
On a personal level, he said it was always easy to talk to Spilak about a number of topics, from his tree farm to his family, and his ability to scope out a good deal.
"I always liked to bug him, he'd always be out shopping for a new toy of some type, but it always had to be used, and he always had to bargain them down to their last penny," said Riva Cambrin. "He was very careful that way."
Prior to becoming a councillor, he said Spilak developed a number of subdivisions in the County and they were always done well, creating a high quality setting for their residents. He was never one to cut corners, said Riva Cambrin.
"Whatever he did, he always did a good job of it," he said. "He had the position of reeve for nine years and he was always very good at conducting a meeting.
"Unfortunately, cancer created a big change in Larry and it was a tough go of it for him these last years. It was hard to watch."
Reeve Suzanne Oel began working with Spilak in 2010, when he first took the reins as reeve after serving one year as deputy reeve and two as councillor.
"I recall how happy he was to try his hand at something new, to add to and make use of his many business skills and previous three years as councillor," said Oel. "Larry fought for his Div. 6 residents and for the County over many seasons."
During her last conversation with him, Spilak expressed his hope for contributions yet to be made and a community yet to be served, she said.
"Despite the health challenges he faced, it is this message of hope that he was focusing on, which spoke to his own life, where he brought help and hope to the community in his role that was also his mission for these past 13 years," said Oel.
Coun. Delilah Miller, who served as deputy reeve next to Spilak for his last two years as reeve, said he welcomed her immediately when she first arrived on council in 2013 and was always "a thoughtful mentor" to her.
At her first Rural Municipalities of Alberta convention, Spilak nominated her to serve on the Resolutions Committee - something foreign to her as she was as-yet unfamiliar with how resolutions worked. Miller said she was apprehensive at the thought.
"He told me not to worry and ensured me I'd be great," she said. "When I won the vote, he laughed mischievously and said, 'That's part of being a councillor - get used to it.'
"We became friends after that and I have fond memories of that first council term."
She said his passion for all things political drove Spilak to make the council table a productive and thoughtful place.
He was never one to back down when things got hard.
"Though the past terms brought many challenges in health and in council, Larry met all of them head on and forged ahead," said Miller. "I will miss him greatly but know he would want me to always work hard for the Foothills County he loved."
Spilak's commitment to council and the residents of Foothills County was rivalled only by his commitment to his family. A statement released by the County states council and staff send their deepest condolences to his wife Danielle and son Ben.
"His devotion and pride were abundantly clear as he shared stories of Ben's accomplishments and their family adventures," the statement reads. "Foothills County will be forever grateful for Councillor Larry Spilak's dedication and years of service."
