(Facebook/Rob Muench Mayor of Humboldt)

By Mat Barrett

Stepping Down

Muench won’t seek second term as Mayor of Humboldt

Sep 23, 2020 | 5:00 PM

The City of Humboldt will have a new mayor after the Nov. 9 Municipal Election.

Mayor Rob Muench has said he will not be seeking a second term as mayor in Humboldt. Muench told northeastNOW while still working a full-time job, being mayor became too much of a time commitment.

“With some of the things that have happened in our community,” he said. “It has really, probably mushroomed into a lot more of a part-time into a full-time job.”

Muench added that it was a decision he thought long and hard about with his wife, and he’ll get the chance now to spend more time with his family and grandchildren.

Muench first spent 10 years as a councillor before being elected as mayor in the 2016 election. He said there are a number of events, and moments that stick out to him during his time as mayor; with one of the biggest being the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy on April 6, 2018.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Catching up with Jeremy Harrison: What's next for power, internet in northwest Sask.

18h ago

Tariffs

Saskatchewan exports still mostly tariff-free under CUSMA: Moe

19h ago

Riderville

Unlike Figure Skating there are no points awarded in football for artistic impressions

22h ago

“It was one of those things that the community did come together and really pulled together,” Muench said. “And I’m probably going to remember that aspect of it more, is how our community came together with the team and just with all of the help that we were given outside of our community.”

On top of that, Muench said he’s proud of his and the councils work to continuously replace water lines throughout the city. Refurbishing the Centennial ball diamonds and reinvigorating 7th Street are other moments that have stuck out to Muench. He said a city needs a good mix of recreation, culture, and infrastructure, something he’s proud of with the City of Humboldt.

Muench said he really enjoyed meeting new people and being around different people over the years. He said he also always looked forward to grand openings of various businesses in town, something they did a lot of during his time in office.

“It was nice to stand there alongside other members of the community and the Chamber of Commerce, and cutting those ribbons,” Muench told northeastNOW. “That’s always a highlight of any mayor.”

Muench made his announcement on Facebook on Tuesday, Sept. 23 and he said he hasn’t completely shut the door on municipal politics quite yet.

“I’ve had a lot of positive comments, that makes you wonder if maybe there is a bit of opportunity there to serve the community a bit more,” Muench said.

Muench added he’s looking forward to see a few projects come to fruition including the lagoon project, water treatment plant, continuous flood mitigation, and a possible announcement on a BHP potash mine outside of the city.

As for the next one to take Muench’s seat in the council chambers, he said there’s a lot of attention on the mayor of Humboldt, but hopefully that will taper off and there can be more of a focus on getting things done in the city.

–

mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6