In a statement issued today at the offices of the District of Muskoka, District Chair John Klinck announced that he has informed District Council, CAO Julie Stevens and the District Clerk’s office that he will not be seeking re-election this fall.
In an earlier email to District Council advising them of his decision, Chair Klinck stated that he considers the opportunity to have served with them as Muskoka’s District Chair “one of his life’s greatest blessings.” He added, “I shall be forever grateful to you for the honour and privilege of serving with you and working with our exceptional District staff to the benefit of our Muskoka. It has been a remarkably enlightening and personally enriching experience!”
“Further, to the thousands of Muskoka ratepayers I have met over the 28 years of my public service, thank you for the kindness, guidance, and encouragement you have consistently provided. It is my hope that in some small way my service has added value to your vision of the Muskoka legacy we all manage together.”
Background – District Chair Klinck’s Service to Muskoka:
- 1994 – 1997: Gravenhurst Ward 3 Councillor
- 1997 – 2000: Gravenhurst District Councillor
- 2000 – 2010: Mayor of Gravenhurst
- 2010 – 2022: Muskoka District Chair
Related story: Will there be a contest for the position of Muskoka District chair?
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Bob Braan says
Good riddance.
Hopefully his replacement takes much better care of Muskoka.
Klinck’s legacy is the continued destruction of Muskoka assets to benefit a few at the expense of everyone else.
Developers really run Muskoka not the District.
The District’s sole purpose is to approve whatever developers want to do including turning Muskoka into Mississauga as fast as possible.
Starting with wiping out trees and leaving the area barren for years.
Developers know the District will change zoning and planning rules to suit whatever they want, not the other way around.
Klinck also presided over rampant spending on water and sewer to the tune of $620 million!!! dollars resulting in the highest services costs in Ontario.
https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/municipal-water-and-sewer-rates-on-the-rise/
18!!! multi-million dollar plants, most with only a few hundred users. Ridiculous. Insane.
$200 per month or $2,400!!! per year is typical for water and sewer including costs shown/hidden on our property taxes.
There is no affordable housing in town with costs like that.
No other municipality puts $900+ on property taxes for water and sewer.
You might think the highest costs would result in the best service.
Nope.
Water is often muddy, yellow, too low or too high chlorine.
The District says you have to let it sit to dissipate the stink.
And that’s if there is water at all.
Water was totally off in Gravenhurst and Bracebridge lately.
People had to melt snow to flush their toilet.
Sewer is worse.
1.13 million!!! litres of sewage spilled into Muskoka rivers and forests just in the last few years.
Not counting filling resident’s basements with sewage.
And then the District has the audacity to force people to hook up to their old, leaky, unreliable systems.
Anyone hooked up is contributing to all the spills.
You think services costs are high now? Just wait.
The District is blowing up to $65 million!!! more in Huntsville right now.
Julie Stevens, formerly finance, said she “doesn’t know” where the money is coming from.
I do.
Muskoka taxpayers with another massive increase in services cost.
The province and the feds have only kicked in a few million.
Did that stop the project?
Of course not.
Cost is no object at the District.
Massive cost to residents and the environment.
The only time councillors sit up and pay attention is when raising their salaries 27%!! is on the table.
https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/district-council-defeats-attempt-to-reduce-proposed-increase-to-councillor-pay/
I do agree with Klinck it was personally enriching for him.
Good riddance.