3-term Smiths Falls Mayor Shawn Pankow not running for re-election

09-Aug-2026

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Shawn Pankow says he is not running for a fourth term as mayor of Smiths Falls, Ont., this autumn, citing the daily grind of leading the town.

Pankow, who was elected to council in 2010 and as mayor in 2014, shared the news on social media on August 7.

He said he wants more balance in his life.

"I think everything has taken a bit of a toll over time," Pankow told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning.

"I have three teenagers, one in third-year university, one going into first-year, and one in Grade 12. And all their life, their entire life that they remember really, I've been their mayor."