Mike Davison (politician)

Michael Norman Davison (born March 31, 1950) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1981 and again from 1984 to 1985 who represented the riding of Hamilton Centre.

For the American baseball player, see Mike Davison (baseball).

Mike Davison
Ontario MPP
In office
1984–1985
Preceded bySheila Copps
Succeeded byLily Munro
ConstituencyHamilton Centre
In office
1975–1981
Preceded byNorm Davison
Succeeded bySheila Copps
ConstituencyHamilton Centre
Personal details
Born (1950-03-31) March 31, 1950
Hamilton, Ontario
Political partyNew Democrat
OccupationJournalist

Background

Davison was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and attended Hamilton Collegiate Institute.

Politics

He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1975 provincial election, succeeding his father Norm Davison in Hamilton Centre.[1] He was re-elected over Liberal candidate Sheila Copps by 14 votes in the 1977 election.[2] A recount was ordered which confirmed the win for Davison.[3] In 1981, Davison lost to Copps in a rematch.[4]

Davison won a seat on the Hamilton, Ontario City Council in 1982.[5] He returned to the provincial politics when he won a by-election on December 13, 1984 which was held to replace Copps who moved on to Federal politics. He defeated Liberal candidate Lily Munro by 100 votes.[6] Munro requested a recount which confirmed Davison's win by a narrow margin of 55 votes.[7] He never actually returned to sit in the legislature, however, as it was not convened before the writs were dropped five months later. In the 1985 election Davison lost to Oddie in a rematch by 384 votes.[8]

He tried to regain a Hamilton council seat again in November 1985, but failed in his attempt.[9]

Later life

He opened a consulting firm after leaving politics.[10] Davison wrote a column for the Hamilton Spectator newspaper until it was cancelled in 2002.[11] Following his column's cancellation, he became a political commentator for CHCH News and, in 2003, sought appointment to the Hamilton Police Services Board.[10]

In 2004, Davison was arrested on three counts of criminal harassment and one count of attempting to lure a 16-year-old girl into prostitution. He rejected the terms of his bail agreement in July 2004, and chose to remain in jail during the pre-trial period.[12] A number of Davison's former associates indicated that they had lost touch with him prior to his arrest, and sometimes saw him "wandering downtown streets" in an aimless manner.[13] Future HWDSB Trustee Bob Barlow, then active in local NDP politics, noted that Davison had gone to Andrea Horwath's by-election headquarters and made a number of strange statements. "It was almost like a fantasyland. That's not the Mike I know. I thought that's odd," Barlow told the Hamilton Spectator.[10] Political columnist Eric Dowd wrote that heavy drinking played a significant role in Davison's downfall.

Davison eventually pleaded guilty, and was given a conditional discharge and probation. An addiction to alcohol was a contributing factor.[14]

References
  1. "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
  2. "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
  3. Grant, Donald (June 18, 1977). "Vote checks on Monday, Tuesday: 2 recounts will decide Official Opposition". The Globe and Mail. p. 4.
  4. Canadian Press (March 20, 1981). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22.
  5. Marron, Kevin (December 29, 1983). "Hamilton situation explosive party politics called pathetic, chaotic". The Globe and Mail. p. 4.
  6. Stephens, Robert; Cruickshank, John (December 14, 1984). "Liberals lose ground in Ontario by-elections". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  7. "Recount confirms NDP win". The Globe and Mail. December 28, 1984. p. 4.
  8. "Results of vote in Ontario election". The Globe and Mail. May 3, 1985. p. 13.
  9. Marron, Kevin (November 14, 1985). "Seven new councillors endorsed lobby achieves aim in Hamilton election". The Globe and Mail. p. A22.
  10. Brown, Barbara (July 22, 2004). "Davison charges 'out of character'; Defence lawyer seeks bail hearing today". Hamilton Spectator.
  11. Davison, Mike (June 25, 2002). "Davison gets the last word in -- again; Columnist makes final social call before putting down his pen". Hamilton Spectator.
  12. Brown, Barbara (July 31, 2004). "Davison fires lawyer, remains in custody". Hamilton Spectator.
  13. Brown, Barbara (July 24, 2004). "Davison opts for jail over bail restrictions". Hamilton Spectator.
  14. Morse, Paul (March 2005). "A fall from grace; Ex-MPP given conditional discharge, 12 months probation for harassing 16-year-old with 'bizarre' sexual suggestions". The Hamilton Spectator. p. A1.
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