Ben Franklin (1942–March 22, 2003) was
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
of the city of
Nepean, Ontario
Nepean ( ) is a former municipality and now geographic area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Located west of Ottawa's inner core, it was an independent city until amalgamated with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton in 2001 to become the ne ...
from the
1978 municipal election to 1997. Nepean became part of the city of
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
in 2001.
He was born in
Elgin, Ontario in 1942. He graduated from
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Worl ...
with a
BA in 1971 and became a high school geography teacher. In 1973, he was elected to Nepean council. In 1975, he ran unsuccessfully as the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate in the riding of
Carleton in the
Ontario general election
This article provides a summary of results for the general elections to the Canadian province of Ontario's unicameral legislative body, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The number of seats has varied over time, from 82 for the first election i ...
. As mayor, Franklin established a "pay as you go" policy which brought the city out of debt. He retired in 1997 due to health problems. His executive assistant, Mary Pitt, succeeded him as mayor of Nepean after running a campaign that promised to simply continue Franklin's vision.
He received an
artificial heart
An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, exper ...
in March 2003 but died of
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...
later that month at the age of 60.
Ben Franklin Place
Ben Franklin Place is a building complex in the Centrepointe area of Ottawa which houses the Centrepointe Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, the Centrepointe Theatre, and a satellite office for the City of Ottawa. It also includes an outdoor sk ...
at
Centrepointe
Centrepointe is a neighbourhood in College Ward in the west end of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was formerly part of the city of Nepean. It is a newer residential subdivision in the west/central part of Ottawa, developed from 1984 onwa ...
was named after him. He was the first person to be given an honorary key to the new city of Ottawa.
References
1942 births
2003 deaths
Mayors and reeves of Nepean
Carleton University alumni
Ottawa-Carleton regional councillors
Ontario Liberal Party candidates in Ontario provincial elections
{{Ontario-mayor-stub