This book is a classic of its kind -- a no-holds-barred portrait of Hamilton civic life in the 1970s. The focus is on power -- and the powerful. On the surface, power was wielded by the city's businessman-mayor, a business-oriented city council, and a Liberal Party machine fronted by prominent cabinet minister John Munro. Behind the scenes Bill Freeman and Marsha Hewitt found a fascinating set of characters and organizations. They offer a history of organized crime in Hamilton from its rum-running heyday of Rocco Perri to Johnny Papalia and his associates in the 1970s. Freeman and Hewitt provide a critical analysis of The Hamilton Spectator's often unquestioning support of the business agenda for the city, which produced the ruinous demolition of the downtown core and its replacement with Jackson Square. They also examine the labour movement's role in civic life. A chapter on the John Munro political machine, written by Henry Jacek, shows how politics is integrated into the power structure of the city. The book tells the story of key development projects of the 1960s and 1970s that were supposed to transform the central city. The account of the notorious contracts for dredging Hamilton Harbour is compelling reading. The authors look closely at the winners and losers in these projects. Today, Hamiltonians can make their own judgments about the long-term impact of these projects on their city. About the Authors: Bill Freeman is an award-winning historian, novelist, and screenwriter. Among his previous publications are Far from Home: Canadians in the First World War, which he co-authored with Richard Nielsen; A Magical Place: Toronto Island and Its People, winner of a Certificate of Commendation from Heritage Toronto in 2000; Casa Loma: Toronto's Fairy-Tale Castle and Its Owner Sir Henry Pellatt, which received the Heritage Toronto Award of Merit in 1999; Their Town: The Mafia, the Media and the Party Machine, a study of political power in Hamilton co-authored with Marsha Hewitt; and 1005: Political Life in a Union Local. Bill Freeman is also a popular children's author who has won the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for "a body of work" and a Canada Council Award for Juvenile Literature. Marsha Aileen Hewitt is Professor of Religion at Trinity College and the University of Toronto. Her books include From Theology to Social Theory; Critical Theory of Religion: A Feminist Analysis; and Freud on Religion. Marsha Hewitt has published numerous scholarly articles in the fields of religion, critical social theory and psychoanalysis. She is a psychoanalyst in private practice. | 
