2010 Hamilton, Ontario, municipal election


The 2010 Hamilton municipal election was held on October 25, 2010, to select one mayor, fifteen members of the Hamilton, Ontario City Council and members of both English and French public and Catholic school boards. Nominations opened January 4, 2010, and ran until September 10, 2010.
Hamiltonians elected their third mayor in as many elections, choosing former Ward 2 Councillor Bob Bratina over Larry Di Ianni and incumbent mayor Fred Eisenberger, who had served in the role since 2006. The council election to succeed Bratina in Ward 2 drew 20 candidates, while Ward 14 Councillor Robert Patsuta was acclaimed. Only one incumbent councillor was defeated: Brenda Johnstone defeated long-time councillor Dave Mitchell in Ward 11. Many Catholic School Board trustees were defeated by first-time candidates.

New measures

Council backed a measure to elect the boards of Local Health Integration Networks, a move that was in response to the LHIN affair, though this did not occur in time for the 2010 Election.
There was speculation that this election was to include a new 16th Council seat, that would encompass southern portions of Wards 6,7 and 8 and the northern portion of Ward 11. The new ward would have included the area to be developed as part of the controversial "Aerotropolis" industrial development plan, though that plan was abandoned in favour of a study of all ward boundaries following the election.
Bill 212, passed by the Ontario Legislature moved municipal elections from the first Monday in November to the fourth Monday in October, shortening the campaign period by two weeks and moving close of nominations to September 10, 2010.

Mayoral election

Eisenberger's upset victory in 2006, his perceived 'weak governing' style in dealing with council and the Pan Am Games Stadium Debate sparked vigorous debate over challengers and led to the largest number of candidates filing to run for the office of mayor in the city's post-amalgamation history.

Candidates

Campaign

Michael Baldasaro was the first candidate to file in early January and was later joined by self-proclaimed marijuana advocate Andrew Haines. Mahesh P. Butani filed his nomination in mid-April and Mayor Fred Eisenberger, having already confirmed he would be seeking a second term in mid-2008, filed on May 31.
Following months of speculation, former Mayor Larry Di Ianni announced he would be standing in the mayoral election in an interview with the Hamilton Spectator on July 26. Perennial joke candidate Marty Zulinak filed soon after, claiming that he would finance his campaign with money from returning used beer bottles. He would later drop out and run for Ward 13 City Councillor.
The Pan Am Games Stadium controversy developed in August. Mayor Eisenberger took the side of the proposed West Harbour location on Hamilton's Waterfront. The ensuing local debate became so passionately heated, Eisenberger began receiving death threats and council, after affirming their support for the West Harbour, reversed their decision and initiated a reevaluation of potential sites. Though the mayor was commended by Toronto's Mayor David Miller and lauded as the week's boldest leader in The Globe and Mail, his handling of the situation caused former New Democratic MP and MPP Ian Deans and Ward 2 Councillor Bob Bratina to announce they would be contesting the election.
Though Deans withdrew from the mayoral race on Thursday, September 9 to run for Ward 2 Councillor, Eisenberger faced fourteen opposing candidates after the close of nominations on September 10, 2010.
On Thursday, October 7, following a debate at Sir John A. Macdonald High School, Edward Graydon unofficially dropped out of the race after fellow contender Andrew Haines told him to "smoke a joint". Graydon was outraged at the comments, and decided to withdraw from the race to support Larry Di Ianni, who came to his defence following Haines' comments. Di Ianni then asserted marijuana advocates should not be attending debates at high schools and school board officials announced they would be reiterating the school's official anti-drug policies the following day. Graydon continued to attend the mayoralty debates, and his name remained on the ballot, as the official withdrawal date had passed by the time he 'withdrew'.

Results

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City Council election

Ward One (Chedoke-Cootes)

The campaign for councillor in Ward One focused heavily on the Pan Am Stadium. The West Hamilton Ward was a potential host site for the venue, a fact that incumbent Councillor Brian McHattie passionately opposed. During the election, McHattie ran on a campaign of continuing a push for Light Rail Transit, expanded HSR bus service and improved environmental and anti-poverty projects.
Challenger Raymond Paquette campaigned on a similar platform, with the exception of supporting an increased number of liquor licenses granted to restaurants in Westdale Village, an area popular with McMaster University students.
All three candidates vocally opposed the Pam Am Stadium being placed in Ward One. Each candidate was concerned about the strain such a venue would have on the community surrounding the proposed site, a working CP Rail Yard.
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Ward Two (Downtown)

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Ward Three (East Hamilton)

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Ward Four (East Hamilton)

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Ward Five (Redhill)

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Ward Six (East Mountain)

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Ward Seven (Central Mountain)

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Ward Eight">Ward 8 (Hamilton, Ontario)">Ward Eight (West Mountain)

Ward Eight's council race was marked by the unofficial withdrawal of two candidates, namely Jeff Bonner for personal reasons and Bruce Whitelaw in support of incumbent Councillor Terry Whitehead's campaign.
Whitehead's last campaigning opponent, Kim Jenkinson, wrote a post-election reflection for The Hamilton Spectator, where she outlined her reasons for running and the process by which she campaigned. In the article, she noted, "I've had my say, I've played fair, and I have met some interesting people, and had my family and friends at my back the whole way."
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Ward Nine (Heritage Stoney Creek)

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Ward Ten (Stoney Creek)

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Ward Eleven (Glanbrook-Winona)

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Ward Twelve (Ancaster)

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Ward Thirteen (Dundas)

Russ Powers, the incumbent councillor and former Liberal MP for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, sought another term on council. Aside from a two-year period, Powers had served in local elected office since 1982. Powers' message during the campaign and to local media was simple, though light on policy specifics. When asked about his platform, Powers indicated he was running "To continue to represent the citizens of the community of Dundas to the best of my ability."
Danya Scime, a vocal opponent of the West Harbour Pan Am Games Stadium site, filed to run against Powers on September 8. Scime's campaign focused on growing Dundas' commercial tax base through redeveloping brownfields, protecting greenspace, and improving the city's regulatory process to make by-laws and permits more simple. Ron Tammer was a member of the community active with Dundas Minor Hockey Association and Dundas Minor Baseball Association, as well as working with advocacy groups like the Hamilton Youth Justice Committee and Friends of the Red Hill Valley. Tammer's campaign focused on addressing issues of poverty and more responsible development to protect ecologically-sensitive areas. Glenn Robinson, a life-long Dundas resident, campaigned on broadening the scope of community consultation.
Perennial candidate Marty Zulniak dropped out of the mayoral contest to run against Powers in Ward 13. Zulniak, a Dundas native and local "colourful character", campaigned on a localist platform of supporting the community, telling The Spectator "infrastructure in this community isn't what it was in the good ole days," and pushing to clean up Spencer Creek.
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Ward Fourteen (Jerseyville-Rockton)

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!colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Acclaimed

Ward Fifteen (Flamborough)

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Public School Board election

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Catholic School Board election

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French Public School Board election

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French Catholic School Board election

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Endorsements

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Incumbents not seeking election

The only incumbent councillor to not seek re-election was Ward 15 representative Margaret McCarthy, who decided not to stand for re-election after serving on regional and Hamilton councils since 1994. She has cited family commitment as her reasoning for leaving politics after 16 years.
Wards 11 and 12 Public School Board Trustee Shirley Glauser announced she would not be seeking re-election following the completion of her first term in office. Glauser was the only public trustee to not seek another mandate in 2010.

Withdrawn candidates

Despite placing second in the 2006 Election and filing early in 2010 to run against Councillor Russ Powers in Ward 13, Julia Kollek withdrew her candidacy on June 3, 2010, stating that she wanted to help her community in ways other than as an elected representative. During an interview with the Dundas Star, she commented that "You can't take the activist out of me!"
Ward Three candidate and member of the Mohawk College faculty, Frank Bedek pulled out of the 5 person race on July 20, 2010.
Public School Board Trustee candidate for Ward 4, Ryan Sparrow, withdrew from that race in June. Sparrow had been a School Board candidate in Ward 3 during the 2006 Election, taking 17% of the vote, and was a candidate in the 2008 Federal Election for Hamilton Centre.

Timeline

  • November 13, 2006: 2006 Election
  • January 25, 2007: Shortly after the election, Councillor Morelli is accused of harassment, but council votes to stop proceedings.
  • April 11, 2007: After weeks of unruliness, Councillor Bratina throws a pen across the council chamber, leading Hamiltonians to believe that Mayor Eisenberger no longer has control of council
  • November 28, 2007: Councillors are unaware of what they are voting on, as they vote to limit the number of garbage bags that will be collected during curbside pick ups to one.
  • February 5, 2008: Councillor Pasuta alleges Councillor Mitchell illegally lobbies him to support a land severance ruling on Mitchell's farm in Glanbrook. Mitchell denies any wrongdoing.
  • February 13, 2008: Council votes to censure Councillor Mitchell for the second time in three years. This means he will no longer be able to hold a committee chair or vice chair position for the rest of his term.
  • February 15, 2008: The Hamilton Spectator's editorial board calls for Councillor Mitchell to resign after the land-severance scandal. As of December 2008, he remains on council.
  • July 11, 2008: Former MP, Ian Deans, announces he is considering seeking election in any of the cities wards in the 2010 election if his Parkinson's has not incapacitated him
  • April 11, 2009: Sam Merulla, in a Hamilton Spectator article about his career, announces his intentions to run for re-election in Ward 4.
  • November 30, 2009: Councillor Ferguson becomes the first councillor to say he is considering a run against Fred Eisenberger for mayor.
  • January 1, 2010: Councillor Tom Jackson openly muses about running for mayor while fellow Mountain Councillors Scott Duvall and Terry Whitehead announce their intent to seek re-election in Wards 7 and 8 respectively.
  • January 4, 2010: Jose Bustamante and Scott Duvall file their nomination papers to run for City Council in Wards 10 and 7 respectively, on the first day nominations open.
  • January 8, 2010: Michael Baldasaro becomes the first candidate to register in the Mayoral race.
  • May 18, 2010: Andrew Hines files to run for mayor.
  • May 31, 2010: Mayor Eisenberger files for re-election.
  • June 3, 2010: Julia Kollek, after filing to run in Ward 13 earlier in the year, withdraws her candidacy, leaving Councillor Russ Powers the only candidate in Dundas.
  • June 7, 2010: Glenn Hamilton files for the mayoral race, bringing the number of candidates to five.
  • June 22, 2010: Ryan Sparrow, Public School Board Trustee candidate for Ward 4, withdraws from the race. Sparrow had been a School Board candidate in Ward 3 during the 2006 Election, taking 17% of the vote, and was a candidate in the 2008 Federal Election for Hamilton Centre.
  • July 20, 2010: Blogger Edward Graydon files to run for mayor, bringing the total number of candidates to six. Former mayor Larry DiIanni is widely speculated to announce his intention later in the week.
  • July 26, 2010: Former Mayor Larry Di Ianni announces his candidacy for the position of Mayor. In an interview with the Spectator, he said that he "has learned some political lessons, but also has seen the community, and the importance of council, from a different perspective."
  • July 30, 2010: Joke candidate from 2006, Marty Zulinack, files to run for mayor. Eight candidates now vie for the seat.
  • August 10, 2010: Earl Basse, the city's Integrity Commissioner, clears Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead of all harassment allegations brought against him by a former employee. In response to the investigation, Basse provided recommendations for the hiring of administrative assistants that included "developing minimum standards of education and experience for executive assistants; that an orientation package be provided for new assistants; and that a management training program for new councillors be included in their training." Later in the day, after a marathon council session, City Council votes 12 - 3 in favour of the West Harbour location for the city's Pan Am Games stadium.
  • August 18, 2010: Local lawyer Pasquale Filice is the ninth local resident to file for the mayor's race. With just over two weeks before the end of nominations, 6 sitting councillors, 6 sitting Public School Board trustees and 5 Catholic School Board trustees remain without challengers.
  • August 25, 2010: Farmer Victor Veri becomes the tenth candidate for Mayor as Councillor Bernie Morelli files for his seventh election since 1991.
  • September 2, 2010: Former New Democratic MP and MPP Ian Deans files to run for mayor among a host of others, who collectively bring the total number of candidates to 13.
  • September 3, 2010: Downtown councillor Bob Bratina announces his intention to stand for mayor on his morning radio show, saying that he will have officially filed and left his job at CHML by the September 10.
  • September 10, 2010: Nominations close
  • October 25, 2010: Election day