About Gil

I was born in Scotland but my family moved to Cobourg at the age of 4. As a proud Cobourg resident, I have spent 55 of my 65years living in this wonderful town. I was educated in Cobourg, graduating from the East Collegiate. After spending 4 years getting my provincial certification as a Tool and Die Maker, my wife, Marg and I chose to return to Cobourg to raise our family. The town’s quality of life and sense of community is what brought us back and what has continued to keep us here all these years. With my wife, who was born and raised in Cobourg, we had 2 sons, Greg and Kevin, both of whom were very active in sports from the time they were old enough to pick up a hockey stick or kick a ball.

Throughout my life I have been active in the community, starting when our children got involved in sports. I coached and managed a number of rep teams in both hockey and soccer over the years and ultimately got involved in municipal politics through the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. I used this background as a stepping stone to Town Council and was elected as a town Councillor in 1985. I served 2 terms on council, and topped the polls in 1988 for my second term. I did not run in the 1991 municipal election as I felt my work load at Kraft, and my family obligations did not allow me to devote the proper amount of time required to continue serving the people of Cobourg at that point in my life. However, after 26 years of progressively responsible roles in management with General Foods/Kraft I was able to retire and ran for Council again in 2003. Again I topped the polls and quickly found myself back in municipal politics. Building on my 26 years of management and financial experience I ran for Deputy Mayor in 2006 and I for the past 3 ½ years I have continued to serve the people of Cobourg in that capacity.

As an Industrial Engineering Technologist at General Foods/Kraft I subsequently went on to performed a number of management functions in Plant Maintenance, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing and Quality Control, which have given me a wealth of experience in working with people at all levels of the organization. At the time of my retirement I had financial responsibilities for annual operating budgets up to $44 million. My 26 years as a manager at Kraft, watching the ebbs and flows of business cycles and trends has also given me a strong background and understanding of the importance of economic development in building a vibrant and progressive community. Throughout my career and political life the ability to connect with managers, staff and politicians at all levels of government. This is a quality I am proud of and one that I believe is vital for the role as your Mayor, particularly in the Mayor’s capacity as Coordinator of Economic Development.

My years on Council and as an active volunteer have given me great exposure to all aspects of community life here in Cobourg. Following is a brief outline of my service record to the Town and people of Cobourg. On reflection, one the contributions I am most proud of is serving as Chairman of the Gordon C. King Centre, which houses the Cobourg Public Library and the Historical Archives.

Community Service