Brampton’s departing mayor, Linda Jeffrey, issued a public letter to residents and staff on Thursday (Nov. 8) thanking them for their support and effort during the recent election and her past four years in office.

Jeffrey was defeated by Patrick Brown in the Oct. 22 municipal election and will depart after just one term as the city’s top elected official.

“As you can imagine it has been challenging to tie up all the loose ends while absorbing the outcome on election night,” wrote Jeffrey in the letter.

“Four years ago, you gave me the honour of serving as your mayor — I was humbled by the trust you placed in me to guide our City — it was a trust I worked hard to earn each and every day. The progress I achieved at City Hall was hard won — it wasn’t easy and there was a lot of resistance to change.

“Following the election, I was overwhelmed by the kind notes, phone calls and spontaneous hugs I’ve received from supporters, staff at City Hall, and strangers on the street thanking me for my service for the last four years,” she added.

Jeffrey ousted former mayor Susan Fennell in 2014, earning more than 50 per cent of the vote. She lost to Brown in a tight race last month by just over 3.5 percentage points, earning slightly over 40 per cent of the total vote tally.

Jeffrey said during the campaign that she felt it was the most divisive and nasty campaign she’d taken part in during her long political career, which dates back to her time as a Brampton city councillor starting in 1991.

Jeffrey then served as a Brampton MPP and cabinet minister in the Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne provincial Liberal governments between 2003 and 2014 before ascending to the mayor’s office four years ago.

“I cannot thank all of you who poured their heart and soul into our campaign and for that you will always have my deepest gratitude,” she said. “I know that as political leaders we stand on the shoulders of those we represent, and I am lucky to have you in my corner and on my side as we moved this great city forward.”

As for what’s next for Jeffrey, she hasn’t yet decided.