Fred Thomas – Mayor of Princeton – elected in November died overnight after fighting a long battle with prostrate cancer.

Thomas fought the 2011 municipal election defeating incumbent Mayor Randy McLean last November.

A by-election will be ordered under provisions of the Community Charter. Acting Mayor is Jason Earle.

“I am personally saddened by Fred’s passing simply because he was trying to ‘do the right thing’ with his position. Fred and I spent a lot of time in my office and what impressed me was that he was a listener and had drive and determination. I think we all thought he was well on the way to full recovery. Many of us are shocked considering the progress he had been making.” – George Elliott, Publisher of The News Leader.

Thomas: After completing university in 1966 and getting a BSc in Chemistry, he joined IBM as a trainee salesman and ended up staying with the company (in two stretches with a short stint at Polaroid in between) for 25 years. He arrived in Princeton in 1995 a retired man.

Thanks to Steve Arstad of the Smilkameen Spotlight for:

Princeton’s Mayor Fred Thomas died of prostate cancer around 4 a.m. this morning at his house in Princeton at the age of 69. Thomas was dedicated to the town even when he had to give up his duties when he became too sick, said Area H director Brad Hope.

“He was determined to get things done. He phoned me every night, until he got too sick, to ask what was happening in Princeton, and what needed to get done,” he said.Deputy mayor Jason Earle said he would have liked to have seen some of Thomas’ ideas turned into a reality.

Earle was appointed deputy mayor in March when Thomas’ battle with cancer made him unable to work.