Obituary: Former Halton regional chair Jack Raftis was 'the consummate politician'

You could say Jack Raftis pulled off the impossible after he moved to Burlington from Sudbury in August 1972.

A nine-year member of Sudbury city council, he threw his hat into the November 1972 race for Burlington's Ward 2 and won.

Later, Raftis - who died Sept. 5 at age 92 - got himself elected chair of Halton Region by regional councillors and served from 1978-83. He was the region's third chair.

In the 1972 election, he defeated incumbent Alderman Lloyd Dennis by about 100 votes, and to say Dennis was startled might be an understatement.

"I did not expect it at all," Dennis told The Spectator.

Raftis chalked his quick ascent into Burlington municipal politics to citizens upset over a lack of communication from Burlington council.

"It was citizen's action," he told The Spectator the night of his victory on Dec. 4, 1972. "There has been a lack of communication with council. The ratepayers like to communicate. I always did send out newsletters at least four times a year to indicate matters going on before council, instead of after they had been passed."

Raftis was elected as a local and regional council for Burlington in 1974. He served as chair of the region's public works committee before he became regional chair.

His time as regional chair, however, was marked by complaints he was sometimes missing in action. He maintained his high-ranking job as manager of heavy equipment with Canadian Electric throughout his tenure as chair, which he treated as a part-time job. The chair's job had been full time when Halton's first chair, Al Masson of Oakville, was appointed to the post by the provincial government.

Raftis resigned as chair in November 1983, citing business and personal reasons. He was succeeded by Halton Hills mayor Peter Pomeroy.

Spectator columnist Joan Little was one of the "group of women" who helped Raftis defeat Dennis. She later served as his Ward 2 council mate and replaced him on regional council when he became chair.

"He was the consummate politician," said Little, who last saw Raftis a decade ago. "He worked his butt off. I think he was a good chairman. He worked hard trying to get everyone working together. That was a hard go. He really put his heart into it."

She said family was also important to him.

"He was a very dedicated family man," said Little. "Family was No. 1 for him and I admired him for that."

Raftis' time as chair saw the region deal with severe growing pains. It faced staff morale troubles in the late 1970s and, in 1980, it had a $600,000 operating deficit and $1 million in unexpected debentures for waterwork projects. The region's chief administrative officer and treasurer resigned and a new management team was put in place after a review.

Raftis said Halton stumbled because it didn't have the staff expertise like Hamilton-Wentworth region.

"We've done pretty well under the most trying circumstances," he told The Spectator in 1981. "People forget we're not a 100-year-old municipality with a solid foundation. I think we've coped pretty well."

The Spectator said in a Nov. 8, 1983 article that "Raftis had built a reputation at the region as a consummate politician able to demolish opposition without hurting feelings. But some councillors criticized him for ignoring procedures and attempting to bulldoze issues through."

John Norman Raftis was born Sept. 16, 1929, and grew up in Toronto. He graduated as a professional engineer from the University of Toronto in 1959 and went to work in Sudbury. He was involved with such groups as the Jaycees and the Sudbury and District Chamber of Commerce. He ran unsuccessfully for the Progressive Conservatives in Sudbury in the 1971 Ontario election.

In 1989, he became head of Ontario Hydro's new Burlington office. It covered Halton and Hamilton. Raftis retired in 1993.

Raftis is survived by his wife Joan, children Lisa, Joe, Russ and Leslie and six grandchildren.

Daniel Nolan can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com