By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer
William Nisbet led what may have been the most unpopular Council in Sarnia’s history.
In fact, eight of his nine Councillors were swept from Office by angry voters fed up with high taxes.
Nisbet, who was elected our 39th Chief Magistrate in 1919, actually started off his political career on a strong note. The City grew rapidly during his administration, with close to 7,000 building permits being issued during his two years at the helm. The value of new construction in 1920 alone stood at $712,000.00 or about $100,000.00 more than was normal or the era.
Impressed with his performance, voters granted him a second term, making Nisbet the first Mayor in a decade to serve more than one year at the top.
But his popularity didn’t last. As the community grew, Council was forced to spend more and more money on new roads, sewers and watermains.
Taxes were soon on the way up and Mayor Nisbet’s popularity was on the way down. By the end of his second term the City was said to have the highest municipal tax load in Western Ontario. Records show many Sarnians were having trouble paying their taxes. Total tax arrears at the end of 1920 stood at $8,700.00 or just $2,000.00 less than was the case for the much larger City of Kitchener.
There were disappointments on other fronts as well. Mayor Nisbet strove hard to get the Ontario Government to build a highway between Sarnia and Toronto but the project was not approved.
During the 1921 election campaign a whole host of new candidates came forward, demanding change. Several of the challengers were young men just back from the First World War and they were anxious to take charge. Election advertisements in The Observer show the incumbents, including Mayor Nisbet, were mostly elderly gentlemen who had served on Council for years.
On election night it was a bloodbath. Eight of nine Aldermen went down to defeat. Only Alderman George Crawford escaped unscathed by running successfully for Mayor. The Observer reported the old pros were “swept away by a veritable avalanche of votes”.
Mayor Nisbet, perhaps sensing the looming disaster, evaded the wrath of voters by not seeking a third term.