By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, Sarnians can be grateful George Galloway was elected Mayor in 1926. That's because our 44th Chief Magistrate was a sports-minded politician who helped develop both Norm Perry and Tecumseh Parks. Born in [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He was arguably Sarnia's greatest Mayor. James C. Barr, who served two terms as the Head of Council, played a key role in the establishment of Canatara Park – the crown iewel of the City's parks system. He also pushed through a motion [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Six years after he helped defeat the Red Baron and his cohorts, George Andrew was called upon to shoot down Sarnia's economic troubles. Andrew, who served in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, was elected our 42nd Mayor in 1924. [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He was an environmentalist half a century before anyone even heard of that term. George Crawford, who served as Sarnia's 40th Mayor in 1921 and 1922, was the Chief Magistrate who helped preserve the City's most treasured wilderness area. Born in Kingston on [...]
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, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer In 1996, when Sarnia Councillors voted to impose special fees on automatic teller machines, they were accused of setting a dangerous precedent. In fact, Mayor Mike Bradley and his Aldermen faced so much criticism from the banking community that they quickly reversed themselves. [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He may have been the most intriguing character who ever wielded a gavel at Sarnia City Hall. Thomas Dohefty, who was elected our 36th Mayor in 1916, was nothing short of a genius when it came to the creation of mechanical devices. Indeed, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He was the first Sarnia Mayor to face an international crisis. William Robert Paul became our 35th Chief Magistrate in 1915, just as the First World War was beginning to heat up. Warfare isn’t normally considered a municipal matter but with more than [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Mayor Joe Dagan was a man who thought big. When he was elected our 34th Chief Magistrate in 1914 Sarnia had been a 'Town' for nearly six decades. In fact, its status hadn't changed since 1857, the year the Municipality finally shed 'Village' [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He was the 'father of secret meetings' at Sarnia Council. Joseph Alexander Bell was the first Mayor in the Municipality's history to conduct a 'closed door' session of Council. It happened on April 21, 1913, and it created an uproar. Mayor Bell asked [...]
