1. Donald James Atchison was born on March 1,1952 and is a Canadian politician who was Mayor of Saskatoon, the largest city in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan, from 2003 to 2016.
24 Facts About Don Atchison
1. 2.
Don Atchison was born and raised in Saskatoon, where he attended Queen Elizabeth and Holliston Elementary School, Walter Murray Collegiate, and the University of Saskatchewan.
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Don Atchison developed an early interest in politics and joined his high school student council in grade 12; running for the position of sports representative, he campaigned by wearing sports equipment to class daily.
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In 1972, Don Atchison was drafted by the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Don Atchison was offered a role in the 1977 hockey film Slap Shot, but turned the opportunity down, thinking it was a joke.
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Don Atchison was first elected to Saskatoon's city council in 1994 as councillor for the newly created Ward 10, and was re-elected in 1997 and acclaimed in 2000.
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Don Atchison was well known for his campaigning style of standing on street corners and waving at passing motorists, a tactic that was eventually outlawed.
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Don Atchison sought initially to bring a business perspective to city government.
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Don Atchison was first elected as mayor on October 22,2003 in a close four-way contest, unseating incumbent Jim Maddin.
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Don Atchison ran on a platform that included being tough on crime, freezing property taxes, centralizing control of city management, and resuming control of the city's police commission.
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Don Atchison oversaw a period of rapid economic growth, emphasizing the development of new neighbourhoods, infrastructure, and the renewal of the River Landing development adjacent to downtown.
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Don Atchison was re-elected by wide margins in 2006 and 2009, before earning a narrow bid for a fourth term in 2012 against political newcomer Tom Wolf.
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Don Atchison was re-elected on a strong performance in suburban neighbourhoods.
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Don Atchison was known as a mayor who attended events prolifically, but by 2012 he began drawing heavy criticism for never having attended a local pride parade, despite annual invitations from organizers.
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In 2015, hundreds of people circulated a letter criticizing Don Atchison's continued absence, though in 2016 Don Atchison continued to claim that his absences were merely due to scheduling conflicts.
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In 2016 Don Atchison launched a bid for what would have been a record-setting fifth term as mayor.
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Don Atchison was ultimately defeated by former city councillor Charlie Clark, who ran against Atchison on a platform focused on inclusiveness and planning for future growth.
18.
Don Atchison renewed his early-career promise to freeze property taxes and criticized recently adopted initiatives including a new rapid-transit system and a new central library project.
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Don Atchison ultimately finished third in the race behind Norris and Clark, who was re-elected to a second term.
20.
Don Atchison has maintained an interest and involvement in a variety of sports including curling, tennis, football, golf, and hockey, as both a player and a coach.
21.
Don Atchison is a member of the Saskatchewan Grand Lodge of Freemasons.
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Don Atchison was appointed to the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2019.
23.
In 2022 Don Atchison was named as one of at least three local politicians for whom students at Legacy Christian Academy school were coerced into campaigning for.
24.
Former students have alleged that they were required to purchase two pairs of pants each year from Don Atchison's men's wear store.