Scott Radley: Pretty sure Michael Andlauer’s got the city’s full attention now

There should be some genuine excitement around here at the news that Michael Andlauer is going to be the owner of the Ottawa Senators. Even if you're a Maple Leafs' fan and don't necessarily feel warm fuzzies toward his new team.

It's a good thing when local folks do well. It's an even better thing when good local folks do well.

The 57-year-old is that.

Yet in the midst of this, you can't help but wonder if some of our civic leaders are gulping hard and wondering if maybe they should've embraced him a little more over the years. Perhaps showed a little more interest and appreciation for his efforts. Rather than the indifference that so often seemed to be the default position.

They've treated Michael Andlauer terribly," says local businessperson Ron Foxcroft.

Since becoming owner of the Hamilton Bulldogs, Andlauer has promoted this city and given it reason to feel good about itself. He's brought this city three championships, hosted two outdoor games and has kept the lights on at FirstOntario Centre for years - despite never making money doing any of it. In fact, he's burned plenty of his own cash to make it all happen.

More important than anything else, perhaps, his Bulldogs foundation has poured millions of dollars into local charities including running breakfast programs for kids in parts of town that need help. The man - who grew up so poor in a Montreal suburb that breakfasts for he and his single mother was puff cereal bought in bulk bags with powdered milk, and more than a few times the two of them stretched a pot of lentil and pork-tail soup for a week for dinner - has been a truly impactful member of our community.

Yet the love he's shown to this town hasn't always been reciprocated.

The civic leaders could've done a lot more to show respect and appreciation for what he's done for the city's image," Foxcroft says.

When Andlauer showed up at city council to pitch an arena and development at Lime Ridge Mall backed by millions of his own dollars, he was grilled rather than warmly received.

He poured his own cash into facilities for his squad at FirstOntario Centre, but saw broken escalators sit unfixed for ages and other parts of the building wear down. The deficiencies were significant enough that he lost a Memorial Cup bid - something that, again, would've benefitted the city while costing him money - specifically because of that.

A few years ago, banners celebrating his team's championships were taken down from the rafters, rolled up and left collecting dust on the catwalk. Nobody could explain why. He almost lost his lease at the arena a decade ago when the Erie Otters expressed interest in coming here. He was saved at the last-minute when one vote changed in his favour.

He's been very clear that he feels he was left out of the loop when it came to FirstOntario Centre construction plans and what it meant for his team. And the level of concern most elected officials expressed at his forced relocation to Brantford rose only to Code Taupe.

I haven't heard boo from the city," Andlauer said back in February. They may care but they certainly haven't let me know that's the case."

Bet they do now.

This isn't about bringing an NHL team here. Don't get any zany ideas, the Senators aren't moving to Hamilton. Ever.

Rather, it's about the fact that as the boss man in Ottawa hockey he'll have the ear of top politicians and senior bureaucrats and presidents of major corporations. People who make decisions that affect us. The platform he now has is lofty. The position he suddenly holds as owner of a Canadian NHL team is remarkably unique.

He'd be a powerful ally. The kind of guy you want in your corner. As opposed to feeling like a guy who just won the lottery and is suddenly getting chummy phone calls and emails from every relative who's ignored him and every girl who refused to date him in high school.

No, he's not going to undercut this city. That's not him. But if a local politician who didn't have much time for him in the past calls asking for a favour, will he feel as much an urgency to spend his new political capital as he might've if that person had fought hard for him?

We're going to have to wait and see.

In the meantime, seeing Andlauer climb from being an unknown, part-owner of the Bulldogs' AHL team in 2003 to the top of this mountain is simply a terrific story. Seeing someone get to live a dream bigger than anything he could've imagined is cool. Seeing a man get to do that after coming from nothing is inspiring.

And seeing a guy from around here do it, well, that just doesn't happen every day.

Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com