Hamilton’s 53rd mayor has died.
Bob Wade, who served in the municipality’s top post between 2000 and 2003, passed away Thursday night.
There were no details given on the nature of his death at the age of 89.
He spent more than 25 years in government, including 16 years as mayor of Ancaster, Ont.
Wade was an underdog when he ran for mayor of Hamilton more than two decades ago, but did succeed incumbent Bob Morrow – the city’s longest-serving mayor at that time.
Morrow had a strong base of voters in the old city in the 2000 election, but newly added boroughs like Flamborough, Dundas, Glanbrook and Ancaster, aided Wade’s campaign.
Ancaster would see 80 per cent of it’s eligible voters choose Wade.
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He announced he would not seek re-election in 2003 and retired from public life after just one term in office.
Current mayor, Andrea Horwath, revealed Wade’s passing to council and city staff on Friday morning, characterizing it as a “tragic loss.”
“I want to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends … neighbors and the broader community has lost somebody that was very historic in our city and who contributed a great deal to Hamilton,” said Horwath.
The mayor that would succeed him, Larry Di Ianni, expressed his condolences on social media to Wade’s wife and family.
He also said Wade was “a very decent man.”
Former mayor Fred Eisenberger, who ran against Wade for the top spot in 1999, said he did a “superlative job” of leading Hamilton in the beginning stages of amalgamation.
“Bob was the right choice at the right time,” Eisenberger recalled.
“He was that kind of grandfatherly wise, gentle, liked by everybody individual that could bring people together and make amalgamation work.”
A book of condolences is being organized at City Hall – 71 Main Street West, 2nd floor, outside the Mayor’s Office, for the community to sign beginning on the morning of Monday May 8.