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Bob Wade

Friday July 5, 2002

July 5, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 5, 2002

City, developer lay claim to cannon

A 19th-century cannon that withstood the siege of Sebastopol during the Crimean War has become the centrepiece of a battle between a developer and the city of Hamilton.

Angelo Riccio, of Brampton-based Varcon Construction Co., says the Russian cannon, which stood guard front of the Royal Hamilton Military Institute for three decades, belongs to him.

Glorious architecture gallery

The city, however, says the cannon belongs to the citizens of Hamilton, and Ward 2 Councillor Andrea Horwath is talking about speaking to lawyers.

“They knew it was our property,” Horwath said yesterday at a special meeting of the city’s Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC).

The cannon was removed Saturday from the Robinson and Park streets landmark, which Riccio started tearing down last week ahead of city efforts to try to designate it a heritage building.

Riccio — who was granted a demolition permit from the city two weeks ago — said yesterday he removed the cannon and placed it in storage for safekeeping after receiving calls about it last week. He said he has no intention of selling it, but he wants the cannon to be displayed on the property again if and when it’s developed, as a reminder of the site’s military heritage.

“I want the city to show me proof of ownership,” Riccio said. “It came with the property.” (Hamilton Spectator)

 

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Bob Wade, city hall, construction, Crimean War, Hamilton, history

Tuesday December 19, 2000

December 19, 2000 by Graeme MacKay
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð  Tuesday December 19, 2000 The non-secular Festival Season Display for 2001 Ted McMeekin, Flamborough, Flamboro, MPP, Hamilton, amalgamation, Liberal, AncasterÑDundasÑFlamboroughÑAldershot, Terry Cooke, Mike Harris, Bob Wade, Bob Morrow, Doug Lychak, Toni Skarica, Marvin Ryder, Andrew Dreschel

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 19, 2000
The non-secular Festival Season Display for 2001

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: Amalgamation, Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot, Andrew Dreschel, Bob Morrow, Bob Wade, Doug Lychak, Flamboro, Flamborough, Hamilton, Liberal, Marvin Ryder, Mike Harris, MPP, Ted McMeekin, Terry Cooke, Toni Skarica

November 14, 2000

November 14, 2000 by Graeme MacKay

November 14, 2000 – Election results of the new amalgamated city of Hamilton

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: 2000, Bob Morrow, Bob Wade, city hall, election, Fred Eisenberger, Hamilton, John Munro, King

Saturday November 11, 2000

November 11, 2000 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 11, 2000

Our endorsement is a call for dramatic change; The Spectator’s opinion

At the outset of this municipal election campaign, this newspaper argued there was an urgent need for meaningful change in local political leadership. We argued for a new political style that would help heal the rifts created by amalgamation. We called for political leaders who have a fresh vision, not rooted in parochialism or tied to the stale, unproductive political culture that has hobbled Hamilton and diminished its reputation and potential.

Now, in the final days of the campaign, we renew that call. It is more apparent than ever the new City of Hamilton needs and deserves a new mayor, someone who stresses collaboration and consensus and can make citizens from all corners of the new united city feel like they belong and have a role to play in making our community a better place to live and work.

Among the credible candidates for Hamilton’s mayoralty, Bob Wade best fits this bill and, in The Spectator’s view, is the best choice for mayor.

We make this endorsement in the full knowledge that public opinion polls, including our own, suggest incumbent Bob Morrow enjoys a significant advantage over Wade, Fred Eisenberger, John Munro and the rest of a crowded field. If the municipal election were held today, Morrow would probably emerge victorious.

The reason Morrow remains the choice of most voters, up until today at least, is that he is far and away the best known of the candidates. How could he not be? Morrow has been mayor for 18 years and in public life for nearly 25. He is a fixture. Ask 100 Hamiltonians if they’ve ever met him and chances are most will say yes. He’s a tireless participant in the symbolic and ceremonial aspects of the mayor’s job. Some people have said his campaign this time around is a shambles, but we beg to differ. The reason Morrow’s campaign isn’t better organized is that it doesn’t need to be. The man has been campaigning since the last time he was elected.

Let us also say this about Bob Morrow: In no way are we attempting to diminish his contribution to this community over his many years in public service. He deserves credit and respect for his civic patriotism. He is Hamilton’s longest-serving mayor, and the fact that he is not the best choice to lead for another three years does not tarnish his legacy of loyalty and love for his community.

But what about Morrow’s record? According to him, it’s fine. Yes, Hamilton has a few problems, he’ll say, but is headed in the right direction under his capable stewardship. Like many politicians who have a similar nature, Morrow loves to take credit but isn’t equally keen to take responsibility. Point out the lack of progress on downtown redevelopment, and he’ll deny that’s true and label you unfairly negative. Lament the damage caused by crushing taxation inequity, and he’ll blame the provincial government. Criticize him too much and you may find yourself on the receiving end of one of his infamous near-hysterical tirades, which are usually followed by apologies. In the end, you either see things his way or you’re wrong. And after 18 years in the mayor’s office, Bob Morrow says everything is fine.

We don’t agree.

Hamilton is at a crossroads. To begin with, the Hamilton of 2001 will be an entirely different city than it is today. The store clerk in Stoney Creek, the realtor in Ancaster, the truck driver in Dundas, and the farmers in Flamborough and Glanbrook are equal partners in this new city. They need and deserve a leader who is credible, trustworthy, team-oriented and, above all, endowed with common sense.

When Wade was mayor of Ancaster, he spoke out against amalgamation because he felt he had to reflect the prevailing will of his constituents. When it became obvious that one-tier government was inevitable, he quickly accepted reality and was among the first suburban politicians to declare his determination to make the new city work. Along with his council colleagues, he has helped make Ancaster one of the most prosperous communities in Ontario.

Wade is not charismatic. His political persona is best described as steady, calm and low-key. If he has a considerable ego, it’s not obvious. Wade’s strength is in his track record of efficiency and cohesive leadership and in his ability to bring people together. His platform stresses communication and consultation more so than any other candidate’s. There is little doubt that Wade would put the unity and progress of the new council and city ahead of his personal political ambition and parochial preferences.

Paradoxically, the same qualities that make Bob Wade the best choice for mayor at this time in Hamilton’s history make him a somewhat lacklustre campaigner, which may explain in part why he is lagging in opinion polls. But to be fair, that is also due in part to his team’s decision to make their big push in the very final days of the campaign, which means all election polls including our own were completed before Wade’s major thrust was launched. For the record, we’re not sure that was the best strategy, but that’s another discussion.

What of the other candidates?

John Munro has spent more time condemning all the incumbents than setting out his own vision. He wants your vote because of his history as a federal politician with a track record of securing benefits for his city. He says he can be as effective at getting money from Ottawa and Queen’s Park now as he was then, but offers few specifics. And his style of hyper-aggressive, angry criticism is an unseemly throwback. Notwithstanding his commendable record of public service, Munro’s platform is more about what others have done wrong than what he’d do right.

Fred Eisenberger’s candidacy has been one of the few pleasant surprises of the campaign. Although he presents as somewhat aloof, Eisenberger is the most intellectual of the candidates. His policy ideas, such as offering taxpayers the option of speeding the cleanup of Hamilton Harbour if they’re willing to pay more for water, are creative and direct.

Perhaps because he was a dark-horse candidate from the start, he seems the most fearless. He is also the most individualistic, and that has a good and bad side. As mayor, he’d be less likely to take part in the sort of backroom cronyism and deal-making that have been such a part of Hamilton’s political culture on Morrow’s watch. But we wonder if his track record and personal style would limit his ability to bring the new council together, to build bridges and reach consensus.

In the end, Eisenberger’s strengths and weaknesses are, regrettably, academic. He has been hobbled by a relatively unsophisticated campaign organization and limited money. Much as he is eminently worth hearing and considering, it’s unlikely his message has been widely heard or understood. Eisenberger has a lot to offer and given his relative youth, we hope he remains in the public arena because he clearly has much to contribute.

In many ways, Bob Wade is Bob Morrow’s opposite. Morrow is smooth, fast on his feet and prone to rambling responses to direct questions. He frequently substitutes his well-honed politica l instincts for substantive discussion and policy. Wade is not as eloquent, but he’s not prone to overblown hyperbole and bluster, either. He’s calm, rational, thoughtful, reflective and focused.

These are qualities that can bring unity and productive action to the first government of the new City of Hamilton. And that’s why Bob Wade is the best choice for mayor. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial, A1, 11/11/2000)

 

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: Bob Morrow, Bob Wade, election, endorsement, familiarity, Fred Eisenberger, Hamilton, John Munro, mayoral, rain, status quo

Tuesday October 23, 2000

October 23, 2000 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 23, 2000

They’re Off; Chretien calls Nov. 27 vote; opposition calls it opportunistic

Canadians will decide Nov. 27 whether the Liberals should be punished for calling an early election or rewarded with a third mandate.Amid opposition claims that his government is arrogant, cynical and out of touch with ordinary Canadians, Prime Minister Jean Chretien visited Governor General Adrienne Clarkson at her official residence yesterday.

He asked her to dissolve Parliament, officially triggering a campaign that had been going on informally for weeks.

Speaking outside Rideau Hall against a backdrop of autumn leaves, the prime minister said an early election is necessary to let Canadians decide what should be done with the country’s burgeoning massive budget surplus.

Immediately, the other parties dumped all over the Liberals, protesting that the election call — just three-and-a-half years into their five-year mandate — is unnecessary and opportunistic.

Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark, NDP leader Alexa McDonough and Canadian Alliance campaign co-chairman Jason Kenney each described Chretien’s go vernment as arrogant, framing what is likely to emerge as a central theme of the campaign.

“What’s happened today is that Jean Chretien has walked off the job, ” Clark said. “He’s walked off the job with a lot of business left to be done.”

The dissolution of Parliament leaves 20 pieces of legislation unfinished, effectively killing them.

“The record of this government is that of arrogance, ” Kenney said. “Canadians are tired of this tired government.”

Chretien calls Nov. 27 vote; opposition calls it opportunistic

“I wouldn’t expect them to say anything else, ” Heritage Minister Sheila Copps said.

“It is an election campaign and obviously they’re out to oppose the government. The reality is it’s the Alliance-Reform that asked for the election originally. Asking people to make a choice when you’re in the fourth year of the mandate — I don’t consider that arrogant.”

The smiling prime minister, who walked to the Governor General’s residence with his wife Aline, said he was feeling both confident and humbled by the opportunity to ask Canadians for another mandate.

Copps enjoys the highest profile among local Liberal MPs, who represent every riding in Hamilton, Halton, Brant and Niagara.

But Marlene Richards, Canadian Alliance riding association president for Ancaste r-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot, said she is sensing that voters in the Hamilton area are hungry for a change.

“There’s something exciting in the air, ” she said. “I’m feeling very, very positive about our own riding.”

Most local Alliance riding associations expect to nominate candidates within the next week.

During the weekend’s provincial Tory party convention in Toronto, both federal Alliance leader Stockwell Day and Conservative leader Joe Clark made appearances, seeking to win support for their competing camps among Mike Harris Tories.

The future for Day and Clark will depend on their ability to make gains in vote-rich Ontario, which holds more than one-third of all the seats in the federal Parliament. (Hamilton Spectator, A1, 10/23/2000)

 

Posted in: Canada, Hamilton Tagged: Alexa McDonough, Bob Morrow, Bob Wade, Canada, candy, election, Fred Eisenberger, Halloween, Hamilton, Jean Chretien, Joe Clark, John Munro, Sheila Copps, Stockwell Day, trick or treat, votes
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