A TRUE CHAMPION
“Don’t try to ride two horses at once. I’ve always been straight up. And I’ve never backed down from a fight. If you believe in something, you fight for it.”
Those were a few parting words from Ron Hayter in 2010 when he announced that he was retiring after a record-breaking 33 years on council. Leave it to perhaps the best orator ever at city hall to sum up concisely the qualities that made him the hard-nosed champion for Edmonton that he was.
In an era when politicians cannily check which way the wind is blowing before voicing an opinion, Hayter always spoke his mind, sometimes brusquely but always passionately, about the thing that mattered most to him — the city of Edmonton. Hayter wasn’t afraid to lose votes or make enemies if he believed something controversial would end up benefiting the city, whether it was butting heads with civic unions; advocating for the first leg of the LRT, the new City Hall and the convention centre; introducing public smoking restrictions; saving the City Centre Airport; calling for more women on civic boards and commissions; and pioneering better relations with the Indigenous community.
“The record clearly shows I’m not afraid to put forward new ideas and I took a lot of flak for it,” Hayter recalled.
Perhaps his no-nonsense approach originated from hardscrabble beginnings: His father worked the bush of northern Saskatchewan and Hayter didn’t attend formal school until age 12. His scrappiness was possibly a product of a youth spent boxing in rings all over Saskatchewan. Certainly, it’s where his lifelong love and advocacy for sports, especially boxing and baseball, must have originated.
Could Hayter’s early days as a newspaper reporter — including a stint at the Edmonton Journal — have contributed to his ethics and sense of fairness? We’d like to think so.
His turn of phrase, too, was legendary among city hall journalists. While other politicians would ramble or struggle to express themselves, Hayter knew the power and reach of words.
During dreary council debates, Hayter took the time to carefully prepare his remarks. Everyone stopped to listen when he pronounced gems such as, “Getting into debt is a beguiling siren, but turns into a very destructive mistress.”
Voters in his northside ward rewarded him election after election for his common sense and zeal. He undoubtedly could have won another term in 2010 but decided to retire instead. As always, Hayter had the best, last words: “I believe the record demonstrates a longtime commitment to my city and, as a cowboy might say, I can hang ’em up with pride.”