MAYNOOTH – He was one of the youngest treasurers ever to be appointed to a municipality in Ontario. But on February 14, Hastings Highlands Treasurer/Deputy CAO David Stewart left his post to pursue a career in the private sector.
Stewart was born and raised in the Whitby/Port Perry area, where he got a taste of municipal life by becoming a summer student for the Municipality in Port Perry.
There, he worked in tourism and marketing, running the municipality’s Canada Day celebrations, farmers’ markets and assisting with business development,
“I started getting to know the functions of the government,” Stewart said. “Finance always interested me.”
He attended Carleton University for marketing and economics, and then took on a year with the Region of Durham as the economic development program coordinator. From there, he was granted an internship with the Municipal Finance Officers Association of Ontario.
“One of my deliverables, a white paper that I produced in the province, was read by somebody locally and asked if I would be interested in moving back to the area,” He said.
Stewart and his fiancé, who now works at York River Public School teaching kindergarten, travelled up to the area and were hooked.
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