THUNDER BAY – Ed Hailio doesn’t think much about governments and how they operate.
In fact, he’d just as soon do away with them altogether, for all he thinks they’re worth. With those thoughts in mind, the 69-year-old retiree decided to throw his hat into the ring to run for mayor of Thunder Bay.
His decision comes four years after he finished dead last in the at-large race in 2014, echoing similar thoughts during limited time on the campaign trail.
Hailio had little to say about actual local issues or what he’d do to make the city better during a recent interview, instead preferring to rail against leadership around the world.
“Government has to change, and if it doesn’t change, then there’s no future worth living,” Hailio said. “People have to understand what government is before anything can change. And until that gets out, there will be no change of any kind. It’ll be the same old, same old, like it has been for the past few centuries.”
Born in Port Arthur in 1948, Hailio spent his working days at the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool grain terminals.
In his profile on the Thunder Bay Votes website, he describes himself as a man with principles he firmly believes in.
“I am a person who demands truth, honesty, responsibility and accountability. I also believe, do not demand of others that which we will not give ourselves,” Hailio said.
There’s too much corruption in government today, he noted, though things haven’t really changed all that much over the past 2,000 years.
Hailio said if one digs deep enough into human history, one quickly realizes that government is nothing more than a criminal enterprise.
“It started with royal houses, how they took control of lands and everything else and claimed it as their own personal property. They destroyed every culture they came in contact with and it just goes on and on,” Hailio said.
He did not offer any solutions on how he would clean things up if he’s elected on Oct. 22.
