After serving as Auburn’s mayor since 2008, Mike Quill will retire at the end of this month.
Mayor Quill sat down with Finger Lakes News Radio to discuss his upcoming retirement. He said that once the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day, he wants to return to private life.
“When I left the fire department after [32] years, I said it was a great life but it’s time to move on, and that’s the same way I feel about the City of Auburn with politics and governing,” Quill said. “I had my chance, my opportunity and now it’s someone else’s turn.”
Quill added that his decision to remain out of public life is to allow the new administration to grow and evolve.
“There’s nothing worse than a retired person coming around and saying ‘We didn’t do it this way; we did it that way.’ That’s demoralizing and it’s not helpful,” Quill continued. “So, no. I will be a citizen of Auburn. You will see me at Wegmans or Tops or whatever, at local restaurants, but when it’s done, it’s done.”
Serving for 16 years, Quill is tied for the title of Auburn’s longest-serving mayor with Paul Lattimore Sr, who took the position in 1968.
He hopes to spend his retirement with his family and friends. Quill said that he wants to spend his first day out of office, January 1, 2024, having a nice meal with his family before watching football.
Current City Councilor Jimmy Giannettino, who received Quill’s endorsement in his mayoral run, will become the city’s next mayor on New Year’s Day.
