Michael J. Patrick
Michael (Mike) Patrick was the 24th mayor of the City of Windsor, serving from 1955-1964, and defeating long time Mayor A.J. Reaume to land this post.
Mike Patrick commenced his political career at the age of 29, when he became the youngest alderman at the time.
He was known for his eccentricities, which included wearing a string tie and walking to City Hall from Kildare Road with a transistor radio strapped to his waist. After serving seven years as alderman, he defeated long time mayor Arthur Reaume to become the mayor of the City of Windsor. During his nine year tenure as mayor he oversaw many development projects and endlessly sought out efficiencies in city operations. He was known for his slogan “Windsor: Pride in Progress,” and for the many iconic Windsor landmarks that were developed during his tenure: City Hall, the Cleary Auditorium, additions to the former Grace, Hotel Dieu and Metropolitan Hospitals, Huron Lodge, Windsor Utilities Commission offices, and the Jackson Park Overpass. The first International Freedom Festival was held while Patrick was mayor, and he was a strong advocate for a riverfront park system – fighting steadfast against the development of the riverfront Holiday Inn. His vision was for a park system that stretched from the Ambassador Bridge to Hiram Walker; while he was met with challenges and some criticism at the time, several mayors later, the city has fulfilled this vision. Mayor Patrick can also be credited for acquiring the land that is now known as Ojibway Park. Of all of his accomplishments, he was particularly proud of his complete reformation of the garbage collection and landfill system.
After serving nine years as mayor, Mike Patrick stepped away from politics to spend more time with his family. He worked briefly in home construction, and then moved on to eventually become maintenance superintendent and a vice president of Windsor Raceway. He also owned and operated Pompeii Restaurant from 1972-1977. In 1979 he started a company that specialized in burglar and fire alarms. In the late 1970’s he did try to get elected back to council, but was unsuccessful in this endeavour until 1984, when he was appointed back to council to replace Ward 3 alderman Howard McCurdy who had been elected to Parliament.
Sources:
Hornsey, Chris. “Mike Patrick dead at age 81.” Windsor Star, February 16, 1998. Retrieved Apr 17, 2018
Van Nie, Rob. “Mike Patrick’s happy to be back in politics.” Windsor Star. October 20, 1984.
Van Nie, Rob. “Patrick gets Ward 3 post on 1st ballot.” Windsor Star. October 3, 1984