A journalist for The Sarnia Oberver
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He was the great fence-mender of Sarnia politics. That's how people who served with him remember Ron Gordon's brief tenure as our 66th Mayor. Gordon, they say, helped unite a badly fractured City Council on two separate occasions. Born in Timmins in 1938, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Andy Brandt was one of the most active - and popular - Mayors in Sarnia's history. Elected our 64th Chief Magistrate in 1975, the 36-year old native of London, Ontario, immediately set out to transform the face of the Municipality. Working with private [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He stood up for the little guy. That was the reputation enjoyed by Marceil Saddy, our 65th Mayor. The London, Ontario native argued against tax increases at every turn, using his well-worn example of how Council's actions would impact on the "little old [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Sarnians can thank Paul Blundy for the fact that the City has a home for the aged today. That's because Blundy, who was Mayor from 1967 to 1974, led the Council that socked away $750,000.00 a year for three years in order to [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He was the man who opened up Sarnia's waterfront to the public. Henry T. Ross, the City's 62nd Mayor, was the person chiefly responsible for the creation of Centennial Park. Born in Ridgewater, Nova Scotia in the last days of the 19th century, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He paved the way for a Sarnia General Hospital expansion and had a hand in the creation of Lambton College. But Mayor Iven Walker is probably best remembered as the man who brought the Queen to Canatara Park. Born in Petrolia in 1898, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Mayor Marshall Murphy Gowland was a man ahead of his time. A generation before Sarnia Council began debating the wisdom of building a multi-use complex, Mayor Gowland was advocating the establishment of a new civic centre. Born in Milton in 1913, Gowland studied [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He built modern Sarnia. Those four words probably best sum up the achievements of William C. Nelson, the City's 59th – and longest serving – Mayor at that point in time. Born in 1885, he attended Durand Street School and Sarnia Business College. [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer If Sarnia Sting fans thought the club's home rink was inadequate, they can thank their lucky stars that Carlyle W. Hipple was in the Mayor's chair half a century ago. That's because under his guidance the City began planning for construction of the [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Sarnians who think there's a shortage of hospital beds in the community can thank their lucky stars that John T. Barnes was elected Mayor in 1940. That's because the community's 57th Chief Magistrate played a key role in getting St. Joseph's Hospital built. [...]
