Whether the District of Muskoka Chair should be elected by all of Muskoka as opposed to its elected representatives is no longer up for debate.
The Province has passed legislation which will make it mandatory for the head of Muskoka’s regional council to be elected at large in the upcoming 2018 municipal election.
That means voters will no longer just be ticking a box for their local and regional representative, but for the regional head of Muskoka as well. The results will then be sent by each of Muskoka’s six municipal clerks to the District clerk, who will tally the results.
Anyone wishing to become a candidate for the District Chair position will be required to file their nomination papers with the District clerk by the set deadline. Their candidacy will also have to be endorsed by at least 25 eligible persons, a formula that could still change as it is based on the number of eligible voters during the last municipal election.
Currently, the District of Muskoka Chair is elected at the inaugural District Council meeting following an election. He or she is elected by Muskoka’s six mayors and 16 District councillors representing Muskoka’s six member municipalities via a secret ballot.
District of Muskoka Chair John Klinck
“You know, it’s a democracy and people put individuals in positions to manage the affairs of the corporation on behalf of the shareholders and the people of Muskoka are the shareholders,” said John Klinck, who currently holds the position of District Chair. “So having a direct link is not inappropriate,” he added.
He did however say that the amount of money candidates will need to raise from the community in order to run for office could be better spent elsewhere. They will need to raise a considerable amount of funds in order to cover the whole area. Based on the number of eligible voters during the last election, spending limits for candidates running for the position would be set at roughly $75,600.
“I would think that there would be some that would be frightened by that possibility,” said Klinck.
You can find District Clerk Debbie Crowder’s full report, as presented to District Council on June 19, here.
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