A Little Bt of Background

When I came to Aurora,  I still had  everything  to learn about politics. The U/K was a two -party system. Conservative and  Labour.

In Canada ,it was Progressive Conservative and Liberal. The CCF didn't have much of a profile.
The New Domocratic Party was yet to be formed.

Major Lex Mackenzie was  the  P.C. MLA for the Riding.  He  was already  a legend.  His  voice had never been heard in the legislative assembly/ His status  in the Riding was high. No problem went unattended. He was a warm and caring man.

When he stepped down ,Bill Hodgson, a  farmer from King Township succeeded him.

His family had deep roots. He had served as a Councillor in King Townahip, then Reeve ,then Warden of  York County before he became  MLA.

He followed  in  Major Lex's footsteps and took care of every problem.  As Mayor I had good reason to know. He looked  after the Riding.  He was responsible for  Newmarket Court house neing established among other things.

The average resident  would never have reason to discover how much that means.

The Riding was a safe seat for the Davis government.

With little recognition for the  King Township farmer whp made it happen.

Pine Ridge, the Ontario Hospital , closed as an institution .

The  government proposed  the property be used as a youth detention centre .A relatively innocuous
facility, we thought.

Young people in trouble would not  have to be shuttled back and forth to Toronto and families
would have better access.

M.L.A. Hodgson supported the  proposal.

 As did I  as the town's  Mayor .

Furious  controversy  erupted . We defended the  purpose.

Then plans were released . A ten foot high chain link fence topped with barbed wire, patrolled by guard dogs  were the security.

Bill was in trouble. It was not what  he understood. His government dropped him into it.

An election was in the offing. Nomination was scheduled at King City Composite High School.

The member was wounded. The jackals  had gathered.

I took a membership in the Riding Association to be able to vote for nomination of a member who had  served  the people well.

George Timpson was a candidate. George had already been a Liberal candidate. He offered.They accepted. George paid for everything.  He was in debt for years and still using  Liberal signs  many municipal elections later . He had bought too many.

George just wanted to be in politics. He didn't much care where and he saw an opportunity.

I was at the nomination meeting. I voted.

The other candidate  was Frank Klees. Nothing  whatsoever was known  about him. Like George,  he saw someone in trouble and an opportunity for himself.

I am not drawn to opportunists.

Bill Hodgson won the nomination, the election and  he continued to serve.