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Meantime, this radio station has learned that a 19-year veteran of the Muskoka Lakes Fire Department has handed in his resignation. George Becker, the District Deputy Chief of the Torrance/Walker’s Point fire station says he resigned because he has learned a township employee who is also a volunteer firefighter was asked by Mayor Karen Ellis to pay him a visit and talk him out of resigning. Becker says before that visit he was 95-percent certain he would stay with the department. However he told us that he felt the Township was unfairly trying to influence his decision by using a fellow firefighter. He felt that was unfair. Mayor Ellis told this radio station that she did not ask the employee to speak to Becker to sway his decision. Rather she told the employee that the employee’s name had been used in a conversation that flew in the face of a letter that he had sent to Council saying that he would stay on as a volunteer. She advised him to speak to Becker about his own personal position and not to try to talk Becker into staying on his post. Ellis says she is very sorry to lean that Becker has resigned and that she would love for all volunteers to stay on with the department but understands that they must make decisions based on what is best for them as individuals.