Dianne Haskett
Encyclopedia
Dianne Louise Haskett was mayor
of London, Ontario
, Canada
, from 1994 to 2000. She served two, three-year mayoral terms, making a priority of downtown revitalization, heritage preservation, economic development, neighbourhood protection, protecting the environment, international relations, trade corridors' infrastructure, family values and anti-poverty initiatives.
in 1974, her LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario
in 1977, her LL.M. from the London School of Economics
in 1979 and a second LLM from The George Washington University Law School
in 2005.She has also studied law at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland, Ohio
, and the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies at Cambridge University, England.
She later founded her own law firm, Haskett Menear & Associates, which grew to include seven lawyers.
Once Haskett was elected mayor in November 1994, beating Deputy-Mayor Jack Burghardt by slightly more than 1,000 votes, she stepped aside from her duties as a lawyer and as a partner in her law firm. She was re-elected in 1997 with a landslide victory.
Proclamation on the basis that she'd previously formulated a policy of declining controversial proclamations. London City Council also declined to issue the Gay Pride Proclamation by a vote of 13-5 (Mayor Haskett abstained from voting).
Richard Hudler, president of the Homophile Association of London, Ontario (HALO), filed an official complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission
in 1995, a tribunal of which ultimately determined in 1997 after a three-day public hearing that the City of London and Mayor Haskett had discriminated against HALO in the provision of a municipal service. Both the City of London and Haskett were fined $5,000.
Haskett placed a paid advertisement in The London Free Press on October 22, 1997, in which she stated that she believed the human rights case was unfairly decided and wrong in fact and law, and that the Tribunal's decision undermined the freedoms guaranteed in the Canadian Constitution, notably freedom of expression and freedom of religion
.
As an act of protest, she withdrew from her duties as mayor for three weeks (without pay) by staying in her Port Stanley, Ontario
, townhouse and did not campaign during the last three weeks of the 1997 election. Deputy Mayor Grant Hopcroft, who became acting mayor during her absence, became an ardent supporter of issuing the gay pride proclamation after opposing it in 1995 in a recorded vote and refused to allow an appeal of the tribunal decision. Haskett was re-elected to a second term as mayor by a 2-1 landslide over Hopcroft. Haskett used no campaign signs during the 1997 civic election, instead using green-and-gold ribbons.http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/1997/November/11/default.htmhttp://www.realwomenca.com/newsletter/1997_Nov_Dec/article_6.html
In 1996, Haskett participated in an evangelical Christian rally in London called the "March of Jesus". One of the speakers was Rev. Miguel Sanchez of the London Gospel Temple, who prayed for deliverance "from the darkness and deception of the spirit of Islam
". Haskett bowed her head during the prayer, and later said, "From what I know of him, I believed Rev. Sanchez and all other participants have a great love for all people". She later described Sanchez's comments as unfortunate. Haskett's role in this event was strongly criticized by members of London's Muslim community.
. Haskett, her husband and daughter moved to Fairfax
, Virginia
, working with two D.C. area law firms in planning and implementing strategic business development and providing assistance in their immigration and estate planning work.
Haskett completed her second Master's Law Degree in the Spring of 2005 from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.
. She also passed the Washington D.C. Bar exam and was sworn in as an attorney and member of the D.C. Bar in December, 2005.
Haskett has also been involved in a number of other projects in the Washington, D.C. area, including speechwriting, research and marketing and acting in an advisory capacity in Senate and Congressional campaigns. She volunteered as a communications adviser and researcher for Republican
Senator
Elizabeth Dole
. She sat as a member of the Board of Trustees for the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy
in Washington, D.C. and of Trinity Christian School
of Fairfax, Virginia.
radio station, and the A-Channel reported that Dianne Haskett had returned to London to seek the Conservative Party of Canada
nomination in the London North Centre
federal riding recently vacated by former Liberal MP Joe Fontana
, who was a candidate for mayor of London in civic election 2006. This information was confirmed by Haskett on October 18, 2006.
On October 24, Haskett defeated Tom Weihmayr for the Conservative nomination in the federal riding of London North-Centre. Haskett was widely considered to be the choice of the party hierarchy. The local riding association was ordered to hold the nomination meeting on October 24, 2006, a decision Haskett was informed of before the riding association was.
Key members of Haskett's campaign team were campaign manager Ryan Sparrow (previously the communications director for Environment Minister Rona Ambrose
), former law firm partner Michael Menear, former member of London city council Ted Wernham, London businessperson Randy Collins, and Dale Mackness.
Voting day for the federal by-election was November 27, 2006. With 253 of 253 polls reporting, the official by-election results from Elections Canada
are as follows:
|-
|Glen Pearson
|align="right"|13,287
|align="right"|34.85%
|align="right"|-5.27%
|-
|Elizabeth May
|align="right"|9,864
|align="right"|25.87%
|align="right"|+20.38%
|-
|Dianne Haskett
|align="right"|9,309
|align="right"|24.42%
|align="right"|-5.48%
|-
|Megan Walker
|align="right"|5,388
|align="right"|14.13%
|align="right"|-9.62%
|-
| Steven Hunter
|align="right"|145
|align="right"|0.38%
|align="right"|-0.09%
|-
| Robert Ede
|align="right"|77
|align="right"|0.20%
|align="right"|-
|-
|Will Arlow
|align="right"|53
|align="right"|0.14%
|align="right"|-
|- bgcolor="white"
|align="left" colspan=3|Total
|align="right"|38,123
|align="right"|100.00%
|align="right"|
See also List of mayors of London, Ontario
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, from 1994 to 2000. She served two, three-year mayoral terms, making a priority of downtown revitalization, heritage preservation, economic development, neighbourhood protection, protecting the environment, international relations, trade corridors' infrastructure, family values and anti-poverty initiatives.
Pioneer roots in London
Haskett was born and raised in London's Kensal Park district north of Springbank Drive, a descendant of the pioneer Haskett family, one of the early Irish Protestant settlers in London and area, dating back to 1818.Education
Haskett earned her B.A. from the University of WaterlooUniversity of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in 1974, her LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in 1977, her LL.M. from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1979 and a second LLM from The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1825 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...
in 2005.She has also studied law at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, and the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies at Cambridge University, England.
She later founded her own law firm, Haskett Menear & Associates, which grew to include seven lawyers.
Mayor
From 1991-1994, Haskett was a member of London's elected board of control on city council.Once Haskett was elected mayor in November 1994, beating Deputy-Mayor Jack Burghardt by slightly more than 1,000 votes, she stepped aside from her duties as a lawyer and as a partner in her law firm. She was re-elected in 1997 with a landslide victory.
Proclamation controversy
In 1995, Dianne Haskett refused to issue a Gay PrideGay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
Proclamation on the basis that she'd previously formulated a policy of declining controversial proclamations. London City Council also declined to issue the Gay Pride Proclamation by a vote of 13-5 (Mayor Haskett abstained from voting).
Richard Hudler, president of the Homophile Association of London, Ontario (HALO), filed an official complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission
Ontario Human Rights Commission
The Ontario Human Rights Commission was established in the Canadian province of Ontario on March 29, 1961 to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code...
in 1995, a tribunal of which ultimately determined in 1997 after a three-day public hearing that the City of London and Mayor Haskett had discriminated against HALO in the provision of a municipal service. Both the City of London and Haskett were fined $5,000.
Haskett placed a paid advertisement in The London Free Press on October 22, 1997, in which she stated that she believed the human rights case was unfairly decided and wrong in fact and law, and that the Tribunal's decision undermined the freedoms guaranteed in the Canadian Constitution, notably freedom of expression and freedom of religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
.
As an act of protest, she withdrew from her duties as mayor for three weeks (without pay) by staying in her Port Stanley, Ontario
Port Stanley, Ontario
Port Stanley is a community in the Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, Elgin County, located on the north shore of Lake Erie at the mouth of Kettle Creek.-History:...
, townhouse and did not campaign during the last three weeks of the 1997 election. Deputy Mayor Grant Hopcroft, who became acting mayor during her absence, became an ardent supporter of issuing the gay pride proclamation after opposing it in 1995 in a recorded vote and refused to allow an appeal of the tribunal decision. Haskett was re-elected to a second term as mayor by a 2-1 landslide over Hopcroft. Haskett used no campaign signs during the 1997 civic election, instead using green-and-gold ribbons.http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/1997/November/11/default.htmhttp://www.realwomenca.com/newsletter/1997_Nov_Dec/article_6.html
In 1996, Haskett participated in an evangelical Christian rally in London called the "March of Jesus". One of the speakers was Rev. Miguel Sanchez of the London Gospel Temple, who prayed for deliverance "from the darkness and deception of the spirit of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
". Haskett bowed her head during the prayer, and later said, "From what I know of him, I believed Rev. Sanchez and all other participants have a great love for all people". She later described Sanchez's comments as unfortunate. Haskett's role in this event was strongly criticized by members of London's Muslim community.
Moves to Washington, D.C.
Haskett's second, three-year term as mayor ended in December 2000, and she was succeeded by deputy mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-BestAnne Marie DeCicco-Best
Anne Marie DeCicco-Best was the 60th mayor of London, Ontario, Canada.DeCicco graduated from Fanshawe College's broadcast journalism program in 1986 and worked for CHYR in Leamington, Ontario, before returning in 1987 to work at CJBK and CJBX, a country music station in London as a reporter...
. Haskett, her husband and daughter moved to Fairfax
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, working with two D.C. area law firms in planning and implementing strategic business development and providing assistance in their immigration and estate planning work.
Haskett completed her second Master's Law Degree in the Spring of 2005 from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. She also passed the Washington D.C. Bar exam and was sworn in as an attorney and member of the D.C. Bar in December, 2005.
Haskett has also been involved in a number of other projects in the Washington, D.C. area, including speechwriting, research and marketing and acting in an advisory capacity in Senate and Congressional campaigns. She volunteered as a communications adviser and researcher for Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Elizabeth Dole
Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
. She sat as a member of the Board of Trustees for the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy
International Center for Religion & Diplomacy
The International Center for Religion & Diplomacy is a non-profit organization located in Washington, DC. Its mission statement reads: "The mission of ICRD is to address identity-based conflicts that exceed the reach of traditional diplomacy by incorporating religion as part of the solution."The...
in Washington, D.C. and of Trinity Christian School
Trinity Christian School
Trinity Christian School is a non-denominational Christian school in Fairfax, Virginia that provides quality Christian education from grades K through 12.-Brief history:...
of Fairfax, Virginia.
2006 federal by-election
On October 17, 2006, 1290-CJBK-AM, a London, OntarioLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
radio station, and the A-Channel reported that Dianne Haskett had returned to London to seek the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
nomination in the London North Centre
London North Centre
London North Centre is an electoral district in the province of Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997....
federal riding recently vacated by former Liberal MP Joe Fontana
Joe Fontana
Joseph Frank "Joe" Fontana, PC is the current mayor of London, Ontario. He was previously a Liberal member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of London North Centre....
, who was a candidate for mayor of London in civic election 2006. This information was confirmed by Haskett on October 18, 2006.
On October 24, Haskett defeated Tom Weihmayr for the Conservative nomination in the federal riding of London North-Centre. Haskett was widely considered to be the choice of the party hierarchy. The local riding association was ordered to hold the nomination meeting on October 24, 2006, a decision Haskett was informed of before the riding association was.
Key members of Haskett's campaign team were campaign manager Ryan Sparrow (previously the communications director for Environment Minister Rona Ambrose
Rona Ambrose
Ronalee "Rona" Ambrose, PC, MP is the Minister of Public Works and Government Services for Canada, Vice-Chair of the Treasury Board Cabinet committee, Minister of State for Status of Women Canada and Minister of Western Economic Diversification.In the previous Parliament, she was Canada's Minister...
), former law firm partner Michael Menear, former member of London city council Ted Wernham, London businessperson Randy Collins, and Dale Mackness.
Voting day for the federal by-election was November 27, 2006. With 253 of 253 polls reporting, the official by-election results from Elections Canada
Elections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
are as follows:
- 38,123 of 89,139 registered electors voted (42.8 per-cent turnout)
|-
|Glen Pearson
Glen Pearson
Glen Douglas Pearson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a former Member of Parliament for London North Centre, and is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Life and career:...
|align="right"|13,287
|align="right"|34.85%
|align="right"|-5.27%
|-
|Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
|align="right"|9,864
|align="right"|25.87%
|align="right"|+20.38%
|-
|Dianne Haskett
|align="right"|9,309
|align="right"|24.42%
|align="right"|-5.48%
|-
|Megan Walker
Megan Walker
Megan Walker is the executive director of the London Abused Women's Centre in London, Ontario, Canada, a community activist, a former AM radio co-host and also a former member of London City Council from 1994-2000, representing Ward 6....
|align="right"|5,388
|align="right"|14.13%
|align="right"|-9.62%
|-
| Steven Hunter
|align="right"|145
|align="right"|0.38%
|align="right"|-0.09%
|-
| Robert Ede
|align="right"|77
|align="right"|0.20%
|align="right"|-
|-
|Will Arlow
|align="right"|53
|align="right"|0.14%
|align="right"|-
|- bgcolor="white"
|align="left" colspan=3|Total
|align="right"|38,123
|align="right"|100.00%
|align="right"|
Haskett returns to Washington
A letter to Londoners appears on Haskett's "information [Web] site" dated December 28, 2006, which says that she is returning to Washington, D.C. to be with her husband Jack and to continue her life there.See also List of mayors of London, Ontario