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Campbellton Mayor Michel Soucy died suddenly Saturday, his family confirmed in a Facebook post.
Soucy was 75. He was elected mayor in municipal elections this spring.
The post said his family is proud of all of his accomplishments and “his undying commitment to his community.”
Though this was Soucy’s first term as mayor of Campbellton, Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault said Soucy had over 20 years of experience in municipal politics. He said Soucy was previously the mayor of Atholville before local government reform.
Deschênes-Thériault, the MP for Madawaska-Restigouche, said this is a big loss for the community.
WATCH | ‘The community right now is pretty shaken up,’ says deputy mayor:
Campbellton mayor dies suddenly at age 75
Friends and colleagues remember Michel Soucy as someone who made Campbellton ‘a better place to live’
“Michel is someone who was deeply involved in his community. He didn’t count the hours he gave and his end goal was to make his community a better place to live in,” said Deschênes-Thériault.
“You don’t see that kind of engagement if you don’t deeply care for your community.”
He said he had known Soucy for his involvement in municipal politics, with the chamber of commerce and as a representative of Acadians.
Soucy was even a volunteer on Deschênes-Thériault’s campaign, putting up signs for him.
Michel Soucy, centre, was elected as mayor of Campbellton in May of this year. (Submitted by Mathieu Perron)
Deschênes-Thériault said he was with Soucy last night as the Société nationale de l’Acadie annual general meeting kicked off in Campbellton. He said Soucy delivered a speech at the meeting where he talked about how proud he was of his community.
“We even spoke… less than 24 hours ago, we spoke about different projects regarding Campbellton. We had a great discussion about it. So learning today that he is now gone was a big shock.”
Deschênes-Thériault said he’s not sure when he first met Soucy because he’s always been around — he was a public figure.
Campbellton Deputy Mayor Mathieu Perron remembers seeing Michel Soucy everywhere before joining town council — attending local events, spending time around town and singing in church.
Perron said Soucy was a fixture in the community who “wasn’t just there for show,” but was genuinely committed to making a difference.
The 24-year-old first-time councillor considered Soucy a mentor. He hopes to care for people in his community the way Soucy did.
As deputy mayor, Perron will now take on the responsibilities of mayor until a byelection is held.
Perron said council will meet tomorrow to discuss what’s ahead.
The Facebook post from the family said Soucy died of a heart attack.