TUPPER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-01-10 published
Civil servant moonlighted as a master of municipal politics
From global matters to local logjams, he excelled at finding
common ground
By Randy RAY
Special to The Globe and Mail Friday, January 10,
2003, Page R11
David BARTLETT wasn't comfortable in front of a stove, and couldn't
carry a tune or run a hockey practice. But he excelled at most
other pursuits, whether he was drafting memos to cabinet ministers,
mediating disputes between neighbours at township council, or
square dancing at a local community centre.
Of local politics, he once told his wife, Betty, "I can't coach
sports teams, bake cakes or sing in a choir, but I can do this."
Mr. BARTLETT, a career civil servant in the federal government
and also a long-serving municipal politician, died of cancer
at his home in Manotick, Ontario, on November 8, aged 76.
During a career that began in Ottawa in 1948, the Toronto native
was secretary-general at the Canadian Commission for the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which
advises the government on its relations with the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and coordinates
its activities in Canada.
He was also secretary of the Canada Council for the Arts, the
arm's-length funding agency, and was acting commercial secretary
in the office of the High Commissioner for Canada in Pakistan.
He was active in municipal politics for two decades, including
eights years as a member of the board of trustees of the Police
Village of Manotick, and six years as mayor of Rideau Township,
both south of Ottawa. During and after his mayoralty, Mr.
BARTLETT
was easy to locate in the community: His licence plates read
"RIDEAU."
"One of the most striking things about David was that he could
turn his hand to almost anything and do it well," said close
friend Douglas
SMALL.
Friends, family and colleagues said another of Mr.
BARTLETT's
strong suits was an ability to understand complicated issues
and then come up with solutions satisfactory to all sides.
Bill TUPPER, a former Ottawa-area Member of Parliament and also
a past mayor of Rideau Township, remembers how Mr.
BARTLETT once
settled a dispute between two farm families over drainage.
"The issue was who would keep the drain clear. Both parties were
almost foaming with venom but David, who was mayor at the time,
listened to both sides and said, 'I think I see a solution and
with a little luck, it might work.' He told them his plan and
the farmers looked at one another and asked, 'Is it that simple?'
"They shook hands on the way out of the meeting."
Mr. BARTLETT graduated from the University of Toronto with a
degree in political science and economics. He worked with the
federal Civil Service Commission for two years before winning
a scholarship at the London School of Economics, where he earned
a master's degree. He married Betty
PEARCE in 1950.
Prior to working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization and the Canada Council, he was chief
of the Technical Co-operation Service, Colombo Plan Administration,
in Canada, precursor to the Canadian International Development
Agency; and he was executive officer to the federal deputy minister
of Northern Affairs and National Resources. He retired in 1986
after seven years as assistant director and secretary at the
Canada Council, but continued to do contract work.
His government jobs were administrative in nature, says Mrs.
BARTLETT, "but not in a routine sense. He had a variety of interesting
projects," including the task of helping Governor-General Georges
VANIER and his wife, Pauline, tour northern Canada.
In the early 1990s, he conceived a plan to rescue the World University
Service of Canada from receivership. At the time, he was interim
executive director of the organization, which is a network of
individuals and institutions that foster human development and
global understanding through education and training. From 1991
to 1998, he sat on World University Service of Canada's board
of directors.
Mr. BARTLETT entered municipal politics in 1965 while still working
for the government, which meant he often came home from work
after 6 p.m., grabbed a bite to eat, and was off to a meeting
that could last until after midnight. He bowed out of politics
in 1985 after losing an election.
"His motivation was that he loved the work," said Mrs.
BARTLETT.
"He never fretted about things, there was never any tossing and
turning at night. He had this talent for dealing with all things
in a balanced way and coming up with a fair solution."
Mr. BARTLETT also contributed his time to a local Scout troop,
and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and wrote columns
for a local newspaper. After retiring, he was appointed to a
number of task forces that studied taxi services at Pearson International
Airport in Toronto, the ward boundaries in Ottawa and the workings
of regional governments.
In retirement, he and his wife spent part of each year on Grand
Manan
Island,
New Brunswick. Mr.
BARTLETT leaves his wife, Betty,
and sons Michael and Peter.
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