Norfolk County clerk moving on after seven years
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A search is underway for a new clerk in Norfolk County now that current clerk Andy Grozelle is moving on.
“I’d like to thank Andy for his service to Norfolk County, particularly over the last two years,” Mayor Kristal Chopp said in a news release on Feb. 3. “The guidance he provided to council – specifically the new faces around the table – has been important and appreciated.”
Grozelle has been head of the clerk’s department for seven years. In this capacity, he’s been in charge of day-to-day clerking business which involves a great deal of interaction with the public. More recently, his department was tasked with overseeing the administration of bylaw enforcement.
As clerk, Grozelle is an expert on the Ontario Municipal Act and advises council on other legislative requirements.
He also records the minutes of council meetings and frequently advises council mid-meeting on the way forward on complicated issues of procedure and provincial statute.
The clerk’s department is also responsible for administering the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act on behalf of the municipality and oversees and organizes municipal elections.
Grozelle wraps up his duties at Governor Simcoe Square at the end of February. He has accepted a position elsewhere but is keeping details of that quiet for the time being.
“It has been a great honour to serve the residents of Norfolk and their elected councils,” Grozelle said in the release. “An announcement from my future employer will be made shortly. I can relay at this time that I am taking on a larger leadership role and that I will fondly look back at my time as a municipal clerk.”
CAO Jason Burgess also extended his thanks to Grozelle for the critical role he has played in the day-to-day administration of the municipal corporation.
“Andy has been a key part of the Norfolk County team and we’re disappointed to see him go,” Burgess said. “On behalf of everyone here at the county, I wish him the best of luck in this next chapter of his career.”
Deputy clerk Kevin Klingenberg, Norfolk’s freedom of information officer, will serve as clerk for upcoming council meetings. The county will soon advertise for a replacement for the position, which is mandatory under provincial law.
Grozelle is the second clerk to serve the new Norfolk County, which was established in 2001. The inaugural clerk and Grozelle’s predecessor was Bev Wood of Simcoe, who was also the last clerk to serve the former Town of Simcoe.
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