Mark King was appointed to North Bay Council in 2013 following the resignation of Sean Lawlor. In the municipal election of 2014 King was subsequently elected to continue in that role for the next 4 years. During this time he served on numerous boards and commissions including the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board as Chair (DNSSAB), Chair of Community Services and Vice Chair of the Cassellholme Board working diligently to put the pieces in place for the rebuilding of the long term care facility.
Mark was born and raised in North Bay and is currently the owner and President of H. Freeman & Co. since 1998. Prior to business ownership Mark enjoyed a 23 year career in rail traffic control with CN Rail during which he was recognized for his work in centralizing rail freight traffic in the Great Lakes Region to the Toronto Core, a system that operates successfully to this day throughout Ontario from the Quebec border to the Manitoba border. A study of traffic systems throughout Canada were the building blocks for his supervision of work programs in the Great Lakes Region and eventual responsibility for traffic control in North Eastern and Northwestern Ontario and the GTA, including GO Transit.
As a principal of Markwood Estates, Mark gained extensive municipal planning and land use experience with the successful development and construction of a 32 lot subdivision on Trout Lake. He later joined the North Bay Planning Board and held an executive position with Almaguin Nipissing Travel Association (ANTA).
His interest in the community affairs began with membership in the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce where he served as a Director, as President and for a term as Past President. Chairing both the Tourism and Government Affairs Committees provided valuable insight into both the assets and challenges of North Bay and area.
Mark brings a wealth of relevant experience from a number of committees including his directorship of Discovery Routes and the Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation. This, together with his work with the Chamber, the North Bay Civic League and North Bay Hydro Services earned him the honour of Outstanding Volunteer, Province of Ontario 2003.
Mark King is seeking re-election to council because there is still a lot of work to be done to prepare the City for the next 5-10 years. Demands of society in general are increasing and Mark believes that our current municipal model of operations and procedures is challenged to meet those demands. His work on Council has fostered the passion and decisiveness necessary to serve all citizens for another term with integrity, strength, confidence and professionalism.
King’s priorities and key platform issues are as follows:
- No tax increases without demonstrated economic improvement
- Cassellholme re-build and affordable housing for seniors
- Initiate a task force to tackle North Bay’s drug crisis
- Third party value-for-money review of city departments and services
- New community centre in West Ferris
- Target local job growth
- Upgrade city roads and infrastructure
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