Former regional chair ‘always a class act’
Bill Sears, a civil engineer who also served as mayor of Stoney Creek, died in December at age 87
Former Hamilton-Wentworth chairperson Bill Sears is being remembered as a politician who was measured and inspiring at the same time.
Sears, who died at age 87 on Dec. 27 at his Stoney Creek home, also served as the mayor of Stoney Creek before he was elected by regional councillors as the region’s second chair in 1985.
“He was a consummate professional, well-spoken, prepared and effective,” said former Hamilton mayor Larry Di Ianni, who served on Stoney Creek council with Sears.
He said Sears was instrumental in Stoney Creek’s successful bid to move from being a town to a city in 1984.
“He led us to believe that we were a city, which at the time seemed a stretch, but he convinced Stoney Creek to grasp beyond its reach and look to the future.”
Di Ianni said Sears also helped make the annual Battle of Stoney Creek re-enactment in June become “a major tourist attraction for the community.”
Sears, a civil engineer, served as Stoney Creek’s mayor between 1980 and 1985. He served three years as regional chair, succeeding the first chairperson (the official title) Anne Jones, who served 12 years. In 1988, the chair’s job became an elect-at-large position and Sears did not run.
He made a comeback in 1994 after Reg Whynott quit following two terms as chairperson. He ran against two other candidates, most notably Hamilton alderman Terry Cooke. Cooke obtained 50 per cent of the vote, and Sears got 40 per cent.
“He was a true gentleman, a trusted public servant and a champion for our Region,” Cooke said on Twitter. “We ran against each other for Regional Chair in ’94 and he was my toughest ever political opponent, but always a class act.”
Former Liberal cabinet minister and Flamborough mayor Ted McMeekin also called Sears a gentleman.
“Bill Sears was a good man and a honourable gentleman,” he said on Twitter. “He was also gracious in defeat as he was humble in victory. RIP good sir.”
The flags at Hamilton City Hall and the Stoney Creek Municipal Service Centre (formerly Stoney Creek City Hall) were lowered to half-mast on Dec. 30.
“Bill was a great engineer, respected former regional chairman and former mayor of Stoney Creek,” Mayor Fred Eisenberger said in a statement. “I enjoyed the counsel he provided and will miss him greatly. He served the community of Stoney Creek with enthusiasm and dedication. Hamilton has lost a passionate advocate for our community.”
Sears was born to Lewis and Marjorie Sears in Edmunston, N. B., on April 3, 1933. After a brief tour with the RCAF, he went to the University of New Brunswick where he obtained a BSc. He moved to Ontario.
Sears established his practice in 1965 and did such work as a roads study for the County of Wentworth and a sewag e pumping station report for the City of Hamilton. He established William L. Sears Associated Ltd. in 1995. His son Lewis and granddaughter Amanda followed him into engineering.
“He was incredibly smart,” said his daughter Brenda, on social media.
“He was a good engineer and a great politician, businessman and, most importantly, a well loved father.”
Sears volunteered with the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO) and was president of the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the GO Transit board and various professional organizations. He was an avid gardener, piano player and woodworker.
In 1986, he was named Engineer of the Year by the Engineering Institute of Canada.
In 1999, Sears was considered by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris to lead the transition board to oversee the amalgamation of Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Flamborough, Dundas, Ancaster and Glanbrook into a one-tier municipality. Sears had the support of McMeekin, then mayor of Flamborough. He termed Sears “knowledgeable” and “fair-minded.”
He was a big supporter of transit, including the LRT. In 2016 he signed a letter, along with other former regional chairs and past mayors, asking Hamilton council to reaffirm its support for the LRT project.
In 2008, he lamented in a letter to The Spectator the killing in 1981 by the regional council of a plan to run a LRT between d ownt own Hamil t o n a n d Hamilton Mountain.
“Losing a fully funded light rail transit system in the early 1980s was the biggest missed opportunity that I witnessed in my political career,” he said.
Sears is survived by his wife Judy, children Susan, Lewis, Brenda, Cynthia, brother Bob, sister Marjorie, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, He was predeceased by his first wife Pauline and brother, Jim