Bill McCullough

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 12, 1997

One-tier crusade rides again

Cooke says lopsided victory a mandate for change, By Lee Prokaska, Municipal affairs reporter The Hamilton Spectator

Terry Cooke says his strong showing in the municipal election gives him the mandate to achieve a single tier of government for the region.

“There was a protest vote the numbers were smaller in the suburbs and that’s a reflection of people’s skepticism and resistance to my views on the government restructuring issue,” Cooke said yesterday

“But obviously there’s an awful large cross-section of support that more people said that they agreed with my views, or alternatively that while they disagreed with my views, they thought I was the best guy to do the job.”

So one-tier government will happen. The Red Hill Creek Expressway will be built. The challenges of provincial downloading will be met.

That’s the world according to Cooke, who grabbed 65 per cent of votes regionwide and was more than 55,000 votes ahead of second-place finisher John Gallagher.

In 1994, Cooke took the region’s top political post with 49 per cent of the vote regionwide, about 11,000 votes ahead of Bill Sears.

The divisive bitterness that resulted from the one-tier debate of his first term as regional chairman won’t dissuade Cooke from pushing his restructuring agenda.

But he maintains the province must get its act together on the issue if it is to be finally dealt with.

“Looking back, I’ve often said there were some things I could have done tactically differently,” he admitted. “But what was lacking was simply a framework within which to negotiate closure.

“Institutions don’t willingly, or easily, change themselves there has to be a compelling reason to do so and there has to be an end point at which you say, ‘OK, we’ve talked enough and now we have to come to some decisions. But the province was chaotic in its handling of this situation.”

Cooke believes the election results show the suburban referendum on government restructuring, in which the suburbs resoundingly rejected amalgamation, was “a political protest and not necessarily an accurate reflection of the full spectrum of public opinion in those communities.” And while he places the blame for the failure of restructuring squarely with the province, Cooke says he’ll be trying to minimize the bitterness in round two of the one-tier controversy “I acknowledge that part of my challenge is to ensure that I reach out to people who may be on the other side of the fence on this issue to ensure that we maintain constructive working relationships, both on that issue and on all of the others,” he said.

“So I’ve got to make sure that the lines of communication stay open and I’m attempting to be inclusive in the way in which we go forward.”

While government restructuring is high on Cooke’s to-do list for his second term, it’s unlikely to hit the front burner for six months to a year. There are more pressing, immediate issues that top his list, with the province’s transfers of services to the municipalities looming quickly. (The Hamilton Spectator)

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Dropping the pilot 

by T.M. Bailey, Hamilton, November 24, 1997, The Hamilton Spectator

The recent civic elections are now over. They produced both fresh victories and sad defeats. A cry raised by many voters for a “new broom” called for change. Three long-term aldermen read the doomful handwriting on the wall.

I would like to draw to the attention of Hamiltonians the significant contribution made by one of those three, and which began on the day he assumed office in Hamilton city hall 31 years ago.

More than any other elected official, William McCulloch has been a vigilant watchdog over city and regional heritage.

Whenever a historical building needed to be saved from demolition; or when the two sunken 1812 warships in Lake Ontario required protection until their resurrection; or when local groups needed a grant to point out the uniqueness of Hamilton’s past, Alderman McCulloch was always there to add his encouragement and support.

Like his late father, William McCulloch, Senior, who was the general chairman for the restoration of Dundurn Castle in 1967, Bill Junior has proved to be a supportive friend in the ongoing restoration of that Hamilton jewel and The MacNab Circle.

When Bill, Senior, co-founded the Lincoln Fellowship in Hamilton, young Bill followed in his father’s footsteps as chairman of the society for the perpetuation of interest in Abraham Lincoln.

Today, McCulloch keeps that society shining in the international limelight, as the longest continuing society of its kind in the world.

As a long-term city appointee to the Hamilton Historical Board, McCulloch directed the city’s interest in promoting any venture dealing with the erection of plaques, in conservation projects, in genealogical re search, and for the perpetuation of heritage villages.

He is himself a competent historian. Once again, he inherited his father’s role as a writer on local history.

The son also served on the city’s Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society and became its president during 1966-68.

His part in the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Sir John A. Macdonald statue each January is a well- known illustration of his devotion to history.

McCulloch may have been sidelined, but his past service as Mayor Bob Morrow’s right-hand man in Hamilton heritage and culture will remain as long as there are people who make an interest in Hamilton their goal.

A recent Hamilton Spectator editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay on the election results showed McCulloch’s head bobbing in the water, following his forced jump from the plank of the Good Ship Hamilton. I suggest that a different cartoon might have been more appropriate. I allude to that famous drawing from the pen of Sir John Tenniel in the Punch Magazine of 1870, entitled Dropping the Pilot.

Will anyone ever replace McCulloch at city hall?

Dropping the Pilot, a drawing by John Tenniel, commenting on the forced resignation of Otto von Bismarck from the government of Emperor William of Germany, 1890 with minor alterations by Graeme MacKay.

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Navigating the Seas of Hamilton’s Political Landscape – A Rediscovered Illustration

Hidden within the depths of time, a lost illustration emerges, a creation from the dawn of a career. Drawn for the November 2, 1997, edition of the Hamilton Spectator, it reflects the musings of a young and inexperienced illustrator—me, 27 years ago. As I delve into the labyrinth of my digital archives, the visual artifact surfaces, telling a tale of the municipal elections of 1997, a momentous period in Hamilton’s political history.

In 1997, Hamilton was sailing through stormy waters, grappling with the concept of amalgamation—a bold venture to merge regional and city governance. The illustration captures a ship called “Amalgamation,” with Mayor Bob Morrow at the helm, steering toward a sea of challenges.

However, as I observe the illustration in 2024, a question echoes through time: Why did the 1997 me point the ship to the left? A whimsical choice, perhaps, guided by the innocence of youth and a mere five months into my newspaper career. Today, the seasoned me might have drawn the ship pointing right, respecting the typical English reading flow.

Amidst the political storm, the ship carries both seasoned veterans and fresh faces. The political dynamics of Hamilton during the era, with the looming threat of the Harris government’s restructuring, are vividly portrayed. Notably, a young Andrea Horwath boards the ship, embarking on a remarkable political journey that leads her to become the Mayor of Hamilton in 2024.

The illustration serves as a visual time capsule, preserving the names and faces of key figures in Hamilton’s political landscape. Incumbents like (future mayor) Fred Eisenberger, Tom Jackson, and others navigate the ship, while defeated candidates like Henry Merling, Vince Agro, and Bill McCulloch find themselves cast into the political waters.

The accompanying article from November 12, 1997, reveals Terry Cooke’s determination to achieve a single-tier government for the region. The election results, with Cooke securing a significant mandate, set the stage for restructuring and addressing challenges like the Red Hill Creek Expressway and provincial downloading.

A few weeks later, a visit from T. Melville Bailey, the historian emeritus of Hamilton, adds another layer to the narrative. His tribute to Bill McCulloch and the suggestion to alter the iconic “Dropping the Pilot” cartoon enrich the historical context, emphasizing the significance of long-serving figures in Hamilton’s political landscape.

As I resurrect this lost illustration, it serves as more than a visual artifact—it becomes a key to unlocking the complexities of Hamilton’s political past. The seas of amalgamation, the winds of change, and the figures on board are frozen in time, inviting reflection on the city’s journey from 1997 to 2024. In the words of T. Melville Bailey, we ponder, will anyone ever replace the dropped pilot, Bill McCulloch, in the annals of Hamilton’s history? (Graeme MacKay January 31, 2024)

T. Melville Bailey, born on November 17, 1912, on Davenport St, across from Dundurn Castle, was a prolific writer and historian deeply connected to Hamilton’s heritage; after working as a CP Rail express driver, he overcame financial constraints to attend the University of Toronto’s Knox College, contributing significantly to documenting the Presbyterian Church in Canada and authoring series like “Called To Witness” and “Gifts and Grace”; Bailey served as a student minister at South Gate Church in 1949, later becoming an ordained Presbyterian minister in 1952, retiring in 1984 after 31 years of leadership; his notable legacy includes editing the four-volume “Dictionary of Hamilton Biography” from 1981 to 1999, a pivotal contribution to Hamilton’s historical records; a founder of the Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society in 1944, Bailey also played roles as an editor and contributor to the enduring publication Wentworth Bygones; recognizing the city’s fascination with the upper escarpment, Bailey initiated the Hamilton Mountain Heritage Society in 1996, underscoring his enduring impact on preserving and chronicling Hamilton’s rich history; he passed away in 2005.