Fred Eisenberger

Wednesday June 22, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday June 22, 2022

Change will be key in this fall’s municipal election

Hamilton’s municipal election this fall will now include a race for an open seat in the mayor’s office. On Monday, three-term mayor Fred Eisenberger announced he will not be seeking a fourth term.

This is not intended to be report card on Eisenberger’s time in the city’s top political job. But some things need to be said. Serving Hamilton citizens for 12 years, and more if you count Eisenberger’s time as a city councillor, is no mean accomplishment. He deserves credit and accolades for that public service, and is receiving them, at least from many people.

Yes, he has his share of detractors. Much, but not all, of the criticism directed at him has merit, and we have authored some of it ourselves. But there is a time for everything, and this, we would argue, would be a good time to say thanks, and offer best wishes in whatever comes next for Eisenberger.

Those 12 years add up to three terms. While Eisenberger hasn’t said so himself, it is fair to argue three terms is enough. In this election, on this city council, change should be a key part of the campaign.

We have already heard from some incumbents — Sam Merulla, Brenda Johnson and Judi Partridge come to mind — who are enacting their own self-imposed term limits. Other long-sitting councillors should be having similar reflections. It’s not about failure, it’s about new ideas, new faces, new personalities and new energy. Hamilton’s government needs that.

But back to the mayor’s race. Right now there are just three candidates — former chamber of commerce chief Keanin Loomis, former Liberal MP Bob Bratina, who broke with his party because he disapproves of LRT, and former taxi union official Ejaz Butt. But there is a shoe that has not dropped yet.

Speculation is growing that outgoing Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, herself a former Hamilton councillor, might be considering entering the race. Queen’s Park insiders say comments she made this week suggest she is leaning toward running. After Eisenberger made positive comments about her potential candidacy, Horwath said: “I’m humbled that Fred considers me a strong candidate for mayor of our great city … I’m not ready today to make any announcements about Hamilton’s municipal election. But I can tell you that my heart is always in Hamilton.” Whether the speculation is right is anyone’s guess, but those comments don’t sound like someone who has decided not to run.

What would Horwath’s candidacy mean? Might she split the so-called progressive vote with Loomis, allowing ex-mayor Bratina to come up the middle? You would think her NDP affiliation would help her in Hamilton, but she sustained damage from some local labour advocates after she turfed Paul Miller from the Hamilton East—Stoney Creek provincial race. Might that factor in? And while she would almost certainly win many progressive votes, how would an NDP-leaning mayoral candidate go over with liberal and conservative voters (note the small l and small c) who make up a large chunk of Hamilton’s citizenry?

Still, bearing in mind that name recognition plays an outsized role in municipal politics, Horwath holds better cards than Bratina, and certainly than Loomis.

But then there is the timing. Horwath is due this week to be sworn in for another term as MPP for Hamilton Centre, which she won handily in the provincial election. How will it look if she quickly leaps to the mayor’s race in time to meet the Aug. 19 nomination filing deadline for the municipal election? The optics leave something to be desired.

The upcoming election will be a change election, even if public discontent with many sitting councillors doesn’t translate into wholesale change. We’ll have a new person in the mayor’s chair, and new faces in Ward 15 (replacing Partridge), Ward 4 (replacing Merulla), Ward 5 (Russ Powers temporarily replaced Chad Collins who won federally) and Ward 11 (replacing Brenda Johnson). Our bet is that we may see more change by nomination deadline day. Stay tuned. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Fred Eisenberger Gallery

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger has announced he will not see a fourth term in elections later this year. He served in office from 2006 to the present, interrupted by a term under the mayoralty of Bob Bratina from 2010 to 2014. He has been on the receiving end of many editorial cartoons over the years.

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Fred Eisenberger, Live Sketch
October 18, 2014
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Wednesday March 30, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday March 30, 2022

Bob Bratina announces plans to run for Hamilton mayor, says he offers ‘veteran knowledge’

Bob Bratina says he suspects there will be new faces around the council table come October and is making the pitch it would help to have a familiar one too — his.

The veteran politician said he plans to run for mayor when nominations open in May, promising a positive, forward-looking campaign.

“There needs to be a little bit of stability in terms of veteran knowledge of how a city council works,” he told CBC Hamilton Tuesday morning, the day after announcing his intentions to run during an interview on CHML.

“I think it’s hard to disagree with the fact that you can’t just completely throw everybody out and start all over again. There are ramifications to that.”

Bratina, a former broadcaster, previously served as Hamilton’s mayor from 2010 to 2014.

He was elected as MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek for the Liberals in 2015 and again in 2019, but broke with the party over its support of Hamilton’s light-rail transit (LRT) project.

Bratina has been a vocal critic of LRT since his time on council. In May last year, he announced he wouldn’t run federally again, and teased then about the possibility of throwing his hat back in the ring for mayor.

LRT Gallery

On Tuesday Bratina said he thinks people are “tired” of hearing about LRT, noting it’s “on a course of its own” and in the hands of councillors.

“If I were to become mayor, with the council, I would have one of 16 votes.”

Bratina joins Keanin Loomis, who stepped down from his role as the CEO of Hamilton’s Chamber of Commerce in January to run for the top job on city council.

Fred Eisenberger, Hamilton’s current mayor, said Tuesday that he hasn’t made a final decision on whether to run again, but “I would not bet against it.”

He added the window for nominations runs from May to August and he will make a decision during that time.

On Tuesday Bratina declined to speak about it in depth, saying “the past is for memoirs” and adding that he believes that council at that time functioned well.

January 12, 2012

He did say most of the “antagonists of the past” have moved on, describing the municipal officials of those days as “an old boys group who were around since roughly the beginning of the century.”

Now, Bratina said, he’s focused on the future.

He’s 77, but said he views any suggestion that could preclude him from running as “ageism,” noting with a laugh that he’s healthy and even considered running Around the Bay this year.

“The main thing I have … is the passion for it,” he said. “If the electorate decides it’s time for me to go, that’s fine. It’s up to them. But it’s not up to pundits to say what I should or shouldn’t do.”

Municipal elections will be held on Oct. 24. All potential candidates have until Aug. 19 to file nomination papers. (CBC) 

 

Saturday February 1, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 1, 2020

Hamilton transit task force secrecy is an embarrassment

Hamilton LRT Gallery

Whichever side of the Light Rail Transit debate you stand on, you should not be happy or satisfied by the Ford government’s decision to have its transit task force operate behind closed doors. In secret. With no transparency, and no opportunity for the public (or its proxy, the media) to observe the task force at work.

This task force was thrown together by Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney after the province abruptly cancelled Hamilton’s long-planned LRT line, right in the middle of construction bidding.

The purpose of the task force appears to be to lend the optics of objectivity to the process. It’s widely recognized that the math used by the province to justify the decision is fake, and any real cost overruns wouldn’t be out of line with overruns on other similar transit projects that are going ahead, while Hamilton’s got summarily cancelled.

It’s more than a bit odd to have a hand-picked group of non-elected citizens put in place to make decisions on the best future options for public transit in the city. Isn’t that what we have a local government for? That government had a position, which was LRT. So what the province is doing now is putting the opinions of its task force above the stated position of the local government. But never mind. Fair enough. If the task force does a credible job, it will be a worthwhile endeavour.

January 12, 2012

But how will anyone know if it does a credible job given that it is operating in secret? This is absolutely no reflection on the members of the task force. They seem earnest and no doubt trying to do the thing in the public interest. The lack of transparency isn’t their fault, but it’s fair to say their work will be judged differently than if it was taking place in relative sunlight.

Part of what rankles here is the justification for the secrecy. To be fair, this is a government that typically wouldn’t offer any justification for its arbitrary decisions, but in this case, at least a civil servant agreed to address the question of why the task force meetings — there have already been two — must be behind closed doors.

The meetings must remain secret, according to the province, to protect ” commercially sensitive” information like cost estimates, procurement matters or past budgets. Also, the province says, the secrecy will give task force members the freedom to have “open discussion” about prospective options so there is not “a public debate on every single project they may be looking at.”

October 7, 2016

Respectfully, that is an absolutely terrible rationale for shutting out the public and media. City councils and committees regularly go in camera to discuss issues that are legally or financially sensitive. There are provisions for that. To suggest that all the deliberations of the task force should be secret for that reason is — sorry to be blunt — silly.

And to allow task force members to speak freely? They can’t do that in a public forum, like city council does? Like the Ontario legislature does? Is the government really saying that only secrecy can allow for forthright discussion and debate? And does consciously setting out to limit “public debate” a good thing? Is that the sort of democracy the Ford government wants for Ontario?

But don’t worry. The agendas for task force meetings will be made public. After the fact. And the things discussed will eventually be summarized for public consumption.

So calm down and don’t fret. The government knows what’s best for you. Just sit back and relax. All will be known in the fullness of time. You can trust Doug Ford and friends, right? (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Tuesday January 7, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 7, 2020

Maybe Sewergate is a turning point for Cootes Paradise

December 7, 2019

On Nov. 21, Royal Botanical Gardens hosted our second open house to inform the public of progress made in our 25-year master plan and to obtain valuable feedback from the community that will help RBG develop a bold new direction through 2045 and beyond.

Our plan aims to address environmental pressures while transforming the Gardens into a world-class tourist destination and leader in conservation and environmental education. The scope of this project will effectpositive societal change for future generations and have significant economic and environmental impacts within southern Ontario and beyond. Naturally, we were very excited to spread the news of our plans at the open house.

September 8, 2018

With coffee in hand, I started that morning with great anticipation, but as I opened The Hamilton Spectator, I was dismayed to read (a now infamous story) that 24 billion litres of sewage and stormwater run-off had leaked into Chedoke Creek.

The focus in the news was on Chedoke Creek. Many people do not realize that Chedoke Creek discharges directly into the eastern corner of Cootes Paradise on its way out to Hamilton Harbour. Many people also do not realize that Cootes Paradise is part of Royal Botanical Gardens lands and that we are the stewards of this incredible area that is part of the Great Lakes System of North America.

January 8, 2008

I was both upset and optimistic with this news, as was Drew Wensley, CEO of MT Planners Ltd. I was upset that the positive news of our master plan would be overshadowed by the news of the spill, yet both of us were optimistic that perhaps now, RBG and Cootes Paradise would finally get the attention they need and, more importantly, deserve.

For almost eight decades, we have been working on improving the water quality of Cootes Paradise to enable the aquatic plants to return, creating a better ecosystem where flora and fauna will thrive. For 25 years, we have been involved in one of the largest fresh-water marsh restoration projects in North America — “Project Paradise” — and as of 2015, we had restored about 50 per cent of the marsh’s vegetation. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)