After serving parts of three decades in Flin Flon’s political sphere, Bill Hanson has traded his seat at city hall for a seat at the workbench in his garage.
The longtime Flin Flon city councillor was the only incumbent who did not run in the recent municipal election, marking an end to his combined five term, 19 year run on city council.
Hanson first earned a spot on council in 1992, running for election at the urging of a prominent friend of his – then-mayor Gordon Mitchell. Hanson still speaks with reverence about his old friend, “Gordie.”
“Gordie and I used to coffee together every Saturday and Sunday morning before going to work or whatever we had to do that day. At some point in time, it came up,” said Hanson.
“Gordie was coming close to the end of his time as mayor. I was talking about how good this community has always been for me and my family. I grew up with the Ski Club, we had all these organizations in town, you were always taken care of as a child. There was lots to do, and there still is today. He said, ‘Maybe it’s time for you to put something back into your community. Run for city council.’”
After some contemplation and some reassurance from friend, in-law and then-school board trustee Brent Lethbridge, Hanson put his name forward in 1992.
“Brent said, ‘Yeah, try it. You’ll probably like it.’ I thought, ‘I don’t know,’ but I threw my hat in the ring and I won,” he said.
In office
Hanson’s first term in office lasted three years. He decided not to run for reelection in the 1995 Manitoba municipal elections. When the business Hanson owned and operated began having issues, Hanson devoted most of his time to keeping his work afloat.
“I was good with that. I got really good experience that first time,” said Hanson of his first council stint.
“I knew a little about governance, but I learned a lot more after that. I knew about committee structure, but learned even more.”
Seven years passed before Hanson made a second foray into Flin Flon politics, after a peculiar bolt of inspiration.
“I came home from work one day. I have the main city sewer line going to the treatment plant running right up my back lane,” Hanson explained.
“They were digging it up every day. I came home one day and the shit is shooting out of the ground – because it was a forced main – into the air and onto the neighbour’s doghouse. The dog is inside the doghouse, cowering.”
Once Hanson stopped the leak with a piece of plywood and saved the unfortunate pooch, he called the city. Gordon Mitchell showed up with the crew dispatched to fix the problem.
“I’m complaining to Gordie about this and he goes, ‘Well, it sounds like it’s time for you to run again.’”
Hanson listened, ran again in 2002 and won. On Oct. 30, 2002, Hanson took the oath of office for the second time and sat on council continuously until last month.
Since he was first elected, Hanson served with five mayors, won a seat in four consecutive elections and served on several city committees, most notably the engineering services committee.
Unfortunately, that time frame also included the loss of two people Hanson held dear – Mitchell, the man who convinced him to run not once but twice, and old friend and in-law Clarence Pettersen.
“He was a real hero of mine. A few people didn’t like him, but I thought he was a really awesome guy. At his memorial service, there were four pages of service clubs and stuff that he’d done throughout his life. He was a giver,” Hanson said of Mitchell.
When Hanson talks about Pettersen, he speaks of a man he grew up with, worked with and held dear. Some of Pettersen’s prized possessions are now located at Hanson’s property.
“When I did the roof at my mom and dad’s house, Clarence was beside me. Doing the windows at mom and dad’s house? Clarence was beside me. Drywalling the basement? Clarence was there. When I worked for the city, Clarence was beside me there, too. We both worked for the city at the same time. He was a big part of my life for a long time,” said Hanson.
In the time Hanson was involved in city politics, he was a key part of several projects, including the building of the city’s then-new water treatment plant in 2011 and 2012. A key part of that process was the removal of fluoride from Flin Flon’s water supply in 2011. While the issue of fluoridating drinking water can be controversial, Hanson said he was proud of the city’s stance in removing fluoride and does not regret his vote.
“When I first came back to Flin Flon, I had many conversations with people about removing fluoride from the water,” he said.
“We didn’t even buy the $60,000 of equipment we would need to put fluoride in the water. I sound like a conspiracy theorist when I talk about it, but now even the World Health Organization is against it.”
Future
Hanson’s back story has many twists and turns. He left school for a year as a teen and worked as a taxi dispatcher. He lived in Tennessee and elsewhere in the U.S., working for a Christian drama company and fixing decks. He installed drywall in Salmon Arm, BC, and insulated condos in Uranium City.
These days, however, Hanson isn’t looking to wander. He’s fine staying in Flin Flon for a long time, working his current job as a carpenter and general repairman at Flin Flon General Hospital.
“I plan to retire in Flin Flon. I don’t plan on going too far. I’ve got a little house that the taxes aren’t bad at. I’ve got a man cave here I can play around in and do whatever,” he said.
“I’m not ready to retire yet. I feel too young. I like my job and I think I get a lot done at the hospital.”
Hanson hopes to be able to tackle carpentry and repair tasks for family and friends, saying that his time in politics would eat into time he could otherwise spent doing what he called “odd jobs.” These days, most of his work is done out of his garage, which already contains a number of projects in various stages of completion.
When asked about the legacy he felt he’d leave behind, Hanson said he hoped to be seen as a good guy who worked hard for his hometown.
“I would like to think my legacy going forward would be that I approached this job with tact and a great deal of forethought in everything I did. I would hope people would remember me as a kind guy who always tried to do the right thing,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there are lots of times when I couldn’t. There was a situation at Aspen Grove when people were being flooded out and there were sewer backups. I tried to do what I could. Sometimes, you just don’t have enough money to throw at problems to make them go away.”
Hanson also had a comment for anyone who ever said he got into politics for money.
“People used to say I was doing this for the money. It’s four bucks an hour. If you’re doing this for the money, go over to Walmart, you’ll do better there.”
