Rita Kalmbach was at the helm when Norfolk County first came to be.
While being recognized for her role in building up athletes in school and her athletic prowess in Norfolk’s Sports Hall of Recognition –
Kolmbach is mostly remembered as a pioneer politician, serving as Mayor of the former Township of Nanticoke before being the first-ever elected mayor of the amalgamated Norfolk County.
Kalmbach joked that when the council was formed it was often referred to as ‘Rita and the Boysʼ, which eventually did turn into the nicknamed Boys Club after she left politics.
Of course, that changed this past election which saw a wave of women sweep into our local town hall.
Kalmbach said looking back over her many years of politics – she was proud to be a driving force of getting Toyotetsu to build a plant in the county.
She is also proud of her pro-development stance and still sees the impact of her decisions across the county.
Outside of politics, she says she was proud to be on the inaugural board for our local
Women’s Shelter – something that she said some male colleagues didn’t feel was needed at the time and something she strongly advocated for.
On top of her political career, Kolmbach was also the Port Dover Citizen of the Year, the recipient of the Lioness Clubs Helen Keller Award and the University of Women’s Club made her an honourary member.
Her full interview is below.
