Bob Bentley (politician)

Robert Sidney (Bob) Bentley (1928 – November 18, 2013) was a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Barrie, Ontario in 1968 and 1969.[1]

Born in Toronto in 1928, Bentley worked in insurance before moving to Barrie to take an executive job with the local Formosa Springs brewery.[1] He also hosted a weekly radio show, Briefly Bentley, on CKBB in the 1960s.[1]

He ran for mayor, against incumbent Lester Cooke, in the 1967 election, and won.[2] As mayor, he was most noted for creating a "student mayor" program to educate and involve youth in the political process.[1] The city still runs the program to this day.[1] Defeated by Cooke in 1969,[3] he later rejoined Formosa Springs[4] and was reelected to Barrie City Council as a councillor.[1] He later moved to North Bay after accepting a provincial appointment to review provincial rent control legislation.[1]

In retirement, Bentley moved to Mexico.[1] In 2013, he was seriously injured in a vehicle accident there, and was taken back to Barrie's Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre,[1] where he died on November 18 at age 84.[1]