Public Security's John Everatt retires after 27 years

The retirement of Everatt — who was one of the department's first officers and its second-in-command most recently — was noted during a meeting of Westmount city council last week by Councillor John de Castell, who chairs the committee responsible for community safety.

"John was one of the original PSOs way back in 1980 and he quickly rose to the rank of sergeant and continued supervising shifts of three officers at a time," de Castell said.

In 1996, Everatt was assigned to the position of parking inspector supervisor, where he managed the operations of the tickets and parking permits office until his recent promotion to captain.

"John is well known for his calm demeanor, which has served him well in dealing with people who were irate or at least extremely displeased with having been presented with a parking ticket," he added.

"Over the span of his career, John, of course, has been a valued asset to the department. He's, of course, helped mentor many of the young PSOs and probably he helped shape the character of the department in his own way.

"His devotion to duty and his dry sense of humour and commitment to the community will be sorely missed, and I think all of us would like to wish him a long and very happy retirement."

Everatt began as a Public Security patrolman on July 21, 1980. He was promoted to a patrol sergeant in 1986. He had been responsible for the City's parking operations since the mid-1990s.

During a brief ceremony in city council in January marking his promotion to captain, Everatt gave an indication of the extent to which he was devoted to Westmount. "I ask not what Westmount can do for me, but what I can do for Westmount," he had said.

His remarks also suggested a fondness for hard work. "What keeps me going is that I have energy and I just really like work," said Everatt. "Westmount is a great city to work for. I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time at the start of my career and my hard work has helped me since then."

The announcement of Everatt's departure comes just a few weeks after the retirement of long-time Community Relations Officer James Novak, whose last day on the job was a big one — Family Day in Westmount Park.

Novak had been a fixture in Westmount for years, visiting schools and advising residents on matters of safety and security. He was also a regular coordinator of the City's popular Halloween home decorating contest, as well as many other community events and programs.