Grey County will soon begin the hunt for a new Chief Administrative Officer.
CAO Gary Wood has announced that he will be leaving that position and retiring in 5 months at the end of March.
Wood tells Bayshore Broadcasting News the time is right for him to step down and this will create an opportunity for someone else to follow him.
Looking back on the nine years he’s been with the county, Wood says one thing that stands out is the working relationship he and his staff have had with the Wardens and Mayors and Councillors from across the region.
He says he is amazed at the dedication and hard work and the amount of time the Warden and Councillors devote to public life.
Wood also says without a superb staff to back him up, his job as CAO would have been much more difficult.
He also says because of the number of hours a CAO puts in they can’t really succeed without the support of their family, and his family has been remarkable.
Wood says he is looking forward to spending more time with them.
He says between now and his retirement at the end of March there is still a lot of work to do and one of the major challenges facing the county is trying to keep the tax rate at an acceptable level for area residents.
Wood also says having Owen Sound join the county back in 2001 has been a very positive move for the city and he hopes that it can improve over time