They are admittedly “lifers” in the world of municipal politics.

Maybe it’s just out of habit at this point, but long time GTA politicians Milton Mayor Gord Krantz, Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow, Mississauga Councillor Pat Saito, and Markham Councillor Alex Chiu, have all once again registered for the fall municipal election race.

Combined, their years in office total nearly 150 years. But with an election coming up in October, they say they aren’t ready to bow out yet.

The GTA’s mayoral record holder, Krantz, plans to reuse some of the same lawn signs he has used over the past 20-odd election campaigns.

“I still use some of them I have in the past ... even though I have a more mature look now,” he said. “But I do still go knock on doors ... it’s the wrong thing to do to think you are holier than thou and you don’t need to campaign. I have always thought you should be out there as if it’s your first campaign.”

Krantz, 81, entered politics in 1965 as a local councillor in Milton, the now-booming municipality.

His biography posted on the town’s website proudly proclaims that he beat former Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion’s record when he hit 36 consecutive years in December 2016, taking the prestigious title of “longest, continuously serving Mayor of a major municipality in Canada.”

“I’m wearing Hazel’s crown now,” he said. “At the end of this term, I will have 38 years as mayor, and in total, I have 53 years in public life,” he said.

For Krantz who started out when Milton was just a small town with a population of around 5,000, the lure of politics was never money or fame.

“You make a lot more when you work in the private enterprise than what I do as a politician, so people who think that’s why we are here, is just baloney,” he said.

He said his desire to be in politics is about being involved and making a difference in the community you live in.

“You have enjoy it, you have to like people, and you can’t be afraid of a little criticism,” he said.

Among the projects Krantz hopes to see through in the next term are the Milton Education Village, an initiative to bring a university campus to the town.

The same goes for Richmond Hill’s Barrow, who is also running again in October to keep his mayoral seat, which he has held since 2006. The affable politician had two previous stints on council, which brings the total of his years in politics to nearly 30. He said he never thought he would become a lifer politician. But after some years, he admits the job grows on you.

“There are some Saturday nights when you are out for a community dinner, and you wonder, why am I here?” said Barrow.

“But I still really like what I do, and even when I was not in office, I always knew what was going on, and I was always involved in what was happening in town.”

He noted that two of his long-standing colleagues, Brenda Hogg and Vito Spatafora, are stepping down, and so he feels compelled to stay.

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“Our town looks for stability, generally,” he said. “ And the general sentiment among voters here is that when things are going well, why change anything?”

Mississauga Councillor Pat Saito (Ward 9), has been a councillor for 27 years, and is planning to run for what she says will be her ninth and final term. “I’m just not ready to retire this year. I’m still loving the job,” she said.

Although that wasn’t really the case when she started.

“I hate politics. I really do,” she said. But as an active member of the community, she said she fell into it when an outgoing councillor told her to run for his empty seat.

“This was never something I planned on doing — never, never, never,” she said.

But since then, she hasn’t really looked back.

“I work hard during the term for my residents,” she said.

“And if you feel like you have operated with integrity and honesty through your career, and can go to sleep at night, you’re on the right track.”

Before she retires, she admits she has a number of projects and issues she would like to see through, including: infill development, a tourism master plan for Mississauga and the re-establishment of the road-safety committee.

Markham Councillor Alex Chiu, who has represented Ward 8 for 33 years, also plans to run again. In an email statement, the councillor who has shied away from controversy by often staying mum on crucial debates, says he wants to continue working “alongside the residents to solve community problems.”

Candidates — old and new — have until July 27 to register for October’s election.

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