Council and mayoral hopefuls visit Hamilton city hall to file nominations, kick off campaigns

Hamilton city hall was busy on Monday as some filed their nomination papers to enter the race for mayor, the 15 city councillor spots and the 11 school board trustee positions in the city.

Candidates have until Aug. 19 to file their nomination, nominate for a different office or withdraw their nomination.

Voters will get to make their voice heard on election day — Oct. 24.

Wards 15, 11, 5 and 4 will be open as councillors Judi Partridge, Brenda Johnson, Russ Powers and Sam Merulla aren't running again.

Ward 2 may also be open if Jason Farr becomes an MPP in June's provincial vote. 

One candidate so far for mayor

Keanin Loomis, who announced earlier this year he would be running for mayor, spoke near city hall to kick off his campaign.

"Bringing positive, sustainable culture change to city hall will be my number one priority because if you don't have that right, you can't get anything else right," he said Monday afternoon, with a crowd of about 20 people.

"There is a culture of fear in city hall that has acted as an anchor in our community's effort for renewal … public servants, it's time to stop looking over your shoulder."

The former CEO of Hamilton's Chamber of Commerce said it will take time to build trust with citizens but said he is committed to doing so.

Loomis also told reporters he will push to get Hamilton's Light-Rail Transit (LRT) built, is against expanding Hamilton's urban boundary, said the city should work to eliminate area rating and said he doesn't think the John A. Macdonald statue should be put back up.

He added he has concerns about traffic safety.

Loomis was the only mayoral candidate registered as of Monday, according to the city's posted candidate list. To be nominated for mayor or council positions, candidates must present 25 signatures, or endorsements, and pay a $200 or $100 filing fee, respectively. 

Former mayor Bob Bratina previously said he would run this year. It's unclear if Fred Eisenberger will seek re-election.

Six councillor candidates nominated so far

Kojo Damptey, the executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), also launched a bid at city hall Monday, for Ward 14 city councillor.

A crowd of roughly 40 assembled. Ward 14's current councillor is Terry Whitehead and it's unclear if he's running again.

Damptey is among the city's most vocal community organizers and has said the city hasn't done enough to support BIPOC and equity-seeking communities.

He brought up street safety and the environment Monday but said his main focus is to create a more transparent council.

"The only thing this council is good at is dismissing your voice," Damptey said.

He promised not to take any campaign money from developers and also promised if elected that he would only stay for a maximum eight years in the position.

Damptey said since he's running for city council, he will stay on as HCCI's executive director until June and then move to a part-time role.

Other nominated candidates include:

• Ward 2 candidate Cameron Kroetsch, former chair of Hamilton's LGBTQ advisory committee and a past candidate.

• Ward 5 candidate Matt Francis, who worked at the city for eight years, has fought to keep the Burlington piers accessible to the public and worked with Chad Collins' recent campaign.

• Ward 10 candidate Jeff Beattie who has previously run. He owns Winona Gardens and is a former public school board trustee.

Craig Cassar, an Ancaster resident who has advocated for the environment, announced he will run for Ward 12 but is not yet nominated.

Two candidates in a ward up for grabs

Another high-profile candidate who is running for a city council spot is Alex Johnstone. Johnstone is a public school board trustee for Wards 11 and 12, but is running in Ward 4, where she says she's lived for six years.

Current councillor Sam Merulla isn't running again, leaving the spot open for someone new.

Johnstone is the board's former chairperson and was at the helm when they ended the police liaison program and when the pandemic started. The board took money out of its reserves without approval from the province to hire more teachers and implement public health measures.

"This is the kind of strong and effective leadership you can count on from me," she said in a video on social media Monday.

Johnstone was among the trustees sanctioned after an independent probe into allegations of racism and exclusion against a former student trustee.

She previously ran for federal NDP in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas in 2015 but ended up embroiled in a controversy after she said she hadn't heard of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Johstone's competition as of Monday is Angelica Hasbon.

Hasbon's website doesn't have many details but states they graduated from McMaster University specializing in political science, international business management and international relations.

The site says Hasbon is finishing a doctorate in politics and has worked for a trade company.

Public school board critics to run as trustees

Standing alongside Damptey on Monday, Ahona Mehdi and Sabreina Dahab announced their bids to run for trustee positions with the public school board.

Both are outspoken activists in the city who have spoken on issues like support for encampments residents and against police liaison officers in schools. Both grew up in Hamilton.

Mehdi is a former student and was the subject of the independent report that got Johnstone and trustee Carole Paikin Miller sanctioned. Trustees also recommended Paikin Miller resign.

Mehdi is running for Wards 8 and 14 against current vice chair of the board, Becky Buck.

Buck was also embroiled in the report but wasn't sanctioned. She's been a trustee since 2018.

"I don't want to keep watching students and parents struggle and get caught up in school board hierarchies ... parents and caregivers send their children to school knowing that these institutions are just as responsible for raising their kids as they are — this can't be taken lightly," Mehdi said on Monday.

"I'm here because change is best enacted by those who have lived through the system."

Dahab graduated from McMaster with a degree in political science and is pursuing a Master's Degree. She said her  family, who immigrated from Egypt, have struggled because of systemic barriers.

Dahab said all students should have equitable access to education.

"I don't want to keep seeing the people I love hurt by these systems ... we have seen struggle for the mere acknowledgement that racism ... that bullying exist in schools," she said.

"This is actively putting students' health and wellbeing at risk, which in turn, affects the overall academic success of students ... students deserve leadership that is not afraid to challenge the status quo."

Two others filed their nominations for school board trustee positions:

• Ward 3 and Ward 14 Catholic school board candidate Ralph Agostino, a realtor and former Catholic school board trustee from 1994 to 2014.

• Ward 10 Catholic school board candidate Mary Angela Nardini, the current trustee.