Rita Kalmbach was the first mayor of Norfolk County

Norfolk County, Ontario

Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...

. It was during her tenure that Norfolk County became a separate municipality from Haldimand County

Haldimand County, Ontario

Haldimand is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga....

. Kalmbach was first elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2003 after defeating 21-year-old political neopyhte Brian Decker by a wide margin.

While mayor, Kalmbach successfully opposed a county-wide ban on smoking

Tobacco smoking

Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...

; however, she was unsuccessful in opposing a province-wide smoking ban that took effect on June 1, 2006. Kalmbach's tenure as mayor of Norfolk County ended on January 1, 2007 and she has returned to private life.

Kalmbach is the widow of tobacco farmer Emil Kalmbach; Emil died from Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

 while on vacation in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.