Читать книгу That Wasn’t the Plan - Reg Sherren - Страница 10

Some individuals you never forget. Mayor Walter Assef was one of them. He was a small man with a larger-than-life personality, one that often came with a growl and some bite. An interview with Walter was always more like a lecture, delivered by him.

Former professional boxer and long-time Member of Provincial Parliament Mickey Hennessy once told me, “Never underestimate Assef,” as he once had in an election. Back in the 1950s, he said, Walter created what he figured was one of the first political TV ads, certainly the first in Thunder Bay. It was a simple approach with a direct appeal to the voters. Walter stood in front of a curtain, speaking directly to the camera. At the end he said, “Now remember, vote Assef!” while taking a bow. Written on the top of his bald head in large black print were the words Vote Assef! That was one political match where Mickey was out-boxed. Assef beat him by a landslide. Mickey eventually figured out how to win, and he went on to a long career both as a city councillor and as an MPP in Queen’s Park.

And they were still talking about Walter Assef’s shenanigans during the Queen’s visit back in 1973 when I arrived almost ten years later. As the story goes, when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip first stepped off the plane, the jolly little mayor walked right past Her Majesty, grabbed Prince Philip to shake his hand and said, “Great to see you! Glad to see you could bring the missus.”

But that was nothing. Later in the tour, reporters supposedly caught Walter patting Queen Elizabeth on her backside while showing her around. The British press went wild. Had the little mayor really patted the Queen’s derrière? I’ve never seen a picture, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Assef certainly cared about ruling council meetings. They could be a bit of a gong show, with the mayor telling people to shut up, threatening to punch other members of council, or verbally tearing apart civil servants who appeared before him to give presentations. You could always count on Walter Assef for a story.