Keith Hobbs | |
---|---|
![]() Hobbs in 2015 | |
8th Mayor of Thunder Bay | |
In office December 1, 2010 –November 30, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Lynn Peterson |
Succeeded by | Bill Mauro |
Personal details | |
Born | London,England,United Kingdom | July 9,1952
Political party | Independent |
Occupation | Politician |
Keith Hobbs (born July 9,1952) is a Canadian politician who was elected as the 8th mayor of Thunder Bay in the 2010 municipal election. [1] Prior to his term in political office,Hobbs served as a member of the Thunder Bay Police for 34 years. [2] Hobbs was born in London,UK and immigrated to Canada at a young age. His family settled in Thunder Bay in 1964. [2] In 2017,Hobbs and city's police chief,J. P. Levesque,were charged with extortion and obstruction of justice by the Ontario Provincial Police [3] and was found not guilty in 2020.
On July 21,2017,Hobbs and his wife were charged by the Ontario Provincial Police with extortion and obstruction of justice. [3] The police statement alleges that Keith and Marisa Hobbs and city resident Mary Voss tried to pressure Alexander Zaitzeff,a prominent lawyer in the city,to buy Voss a house in exchange for her silence regarding an allegation that Zaitzeff had sexually assaulted her. [3] Hobbs took a 90-day leave of absence from his duties as mayor upon the announcement of the charges, [3] returning on September 25. [4] [5]
The city's police chief,J. P. Levesque,has also been under suspension since May after being charged with breach of trust and obstruction of justice for allegedly disclosing confidential information about Hobbs. [6] Police have confirmed that the charges stem from the same investigation. [6] Police subsequently withdrew the obstruction of justice charges. On February 20,2020,Justice Dawson found Hobbs not guilty of extortion. [7]
On April 9,2013,Hobbs,while attending a Thunder Bay City Council meeting,arrested a man who stood up and began shouting profanities and was interrupting the meeting. When police arrived,they verified that the man was intoxicated and charged him for being intoxicated in a public place under the Ontario Liquor Licence Act and was ticketed and fined $65. He was put in a drunk tank,until he sobered up. [8]