THIS DAY IN HISTORY: AUGUST 7, 1978
Politicians and the media often have a troubled relationship. But former Surrey Mayor Ed McKitka took his dislike of reporters to a new level. Thirty- five years ago, The Vancouver Sun dispatched reporter Brian Morton and photographer Danny Scott to talk to McKitka in Birch Bay, Wash. McKitka’s controversial term as Surrey mayor had ended when he lost an election to Bill Vogel in November 1977, but his name continued to swirl in the media because the RCMP had raided the offices of McKitka’s firm, Clayton Construction Ltd., and charged him with several counts of breach of trust and fraud. The Sun found out McKitka’s children ran an amusement park in Birch Bay, and sent Morton there to try to find him. Morton was walking in the amusement park when McKitka charged him from behind and slammed into him, sending Morton flying. Morton spun around, ready to defend himself, but was restrained by McKitka’s daughter, Terri Voight. Photographer Scott captured Voight rushing toward Morton and grabbing his arm. In the background, a scowling McKitka stalks around like a caged lion in front of a row of pinball machines. Morton said that McKitka also threatened Scott “with a long stick with a nail at the end of it.” McKitka’s version of events was that he had told his daughter to tell Morton and Scott to go away, heard Morton refuse to leave, and saw “a wrassle going on.” “I gave him a helluva good shove,” said McKitka. He threatened to charge Morton for assaulting his daughter, who The Sun reported “got a cut finger in the altercation.” Morton speculated she must have cut it while she was trying to claw his face. McKitka had a history with Morton: On Nov. 21, 1977, he had snapped a whip at Morton in Surrey council chambers. “He seems to get my dander up,” McKitka said of Morton at the time of the whip incident. In March 1980, McKitka was found guilty on four counts of breach of trust while he was mayor, as well as two counts of demanding a benefit and one of attempting to influence a municipal officer. He was sentenced to three years in prison. While he was out on parole, he was charged with the sexual assault of three teenage girls who had worked for him at the Cloverdale Rodeo in 1983. McKitka denied charges that he had fondled the buttocks of the girls, or made sexual advances toward them, but he was found guilty and was fined $ 600.