The city has lost one of its well-known public personalities with the passing of former city councillor Doug Gallup.

Gallup died last Wednesday at the age of 69 after having suddenly fallen ill.

While Gallup is well-known for the strong stand he'd take on any number of issues, he is also remembered as a man who could leave those issues at the door and get along with his fellow councillors.

"I remember Doug was pretty feisty,” current Coun. Dave Stockdale, who served several terms with Gallup, said in an interview this morning.

He went on to recall Gallup's friendliness outside of council chambers even after they had butted heads on issues during a meeting.

Gallup was first elected to council in the early 1980s, a time when Flo Whyard and Don Branigan, both deceased, occupied the mayoralty.

In that era, both the city and territory were suffering from the effects of a severe recession, pinching budgets and forcing hundreds of people to move south to find work.

As Stockdale recalled, it was that boisterous personality that launched Gallup's first election campaign after city officials told him he couldn't operate his home-based vinyl siding business.

While it was an issue with his own business that may have launched him into city politics, Stockdale was also quick to note Gallup contributed a lot to the city over the years.

He served a total of 12 years on council which makes him one of the longest-serving council members in recent history.

Though it may have appeared Gallup's mind was made up on most issues, Stockdale said that if Gallup was approached with a rational argument, he would consider both sides and on some occasions even change his mind.

Gallup did his homework on various matters. More often than not, he came to a strong stand and had no problem stating his position.

Stockdale recalled one instance where the Humane Society Yukon was seeking funds to build its shelter.

Given the amount of money it was asking the city for, Gallup argued the group was building a "hotel for dogs.”

A number of his comments saw a cartoonized Gallup show up in the editorial pages of local newspapers, and Gallup didn't seem to mind the attention.

Gallup has also been remembered for his strong promotion of Whitehorse tourism.

It was in promoting local tourism that Gallup found himself taking the city to court long after his years on council.

In 2009, Gallup challenged a ticket he had received after having parked in front of the MacBride Museum while downtown with visitors from Alberta.

The parking was designated for tourists only, and because Gallup had a Yukon licence plate, he was given the ticket.

While the ticket was eventually cancelled by the city, Gallup had planned to bring the matter to court. The city couldn't issue such tickets, he argued, as there was no definition of tourist in its bylaws.

Along with challenging the city both inside city hall as a councillor and outside on matters such as the parking ticket, Gallup has also been remembered for his strong work ethic in his business ventures as a contractor and doing vinyl siding.

He often worked through the night on various projects so businesses could run as usual through the day.

While Gallup spent most of his 69 years in the territory, he was raised on a family farm in Rosemary, Alta.

A free spirit, Gallup left home at an early age, finding work as a farm hand in Manitoba, then working at a mine in Pine Point, N.W.T., before settling in Whitehorse.

A celebration of life is set for 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 26 at the Roadhouse on Second Avenue.