Meet the 10 new faces on Hamilton's incoming city council

After an unprecedented election of change on Oct. 24, Hamilton city council will soon be drastically different than the one elected in 2018.

There are nine new councillors and a new mayor — that's 10 new people on a city council with 16 people.

This city council also includes the first woman to be mayor, the city's first East Asian councillor, the oldest councillor to be elected since amalgamation, as well as someone who is tied with a previous councillor as the youngest person to ever be elected and is also the city's first openly non-binary councillor.

They'll all be sworn in on Nov. 15.

Here's what city council — all 16 people, new and returning — is set to look like for the next four years.

Mayor - Andrea Horwath

Andrea Horwath, 60, is the city's mayor-elect and will be the first woman to ever be mayor of Hamilton.

She joined the race after stepping down as Hamilton Centre's NDP MPP and won a thrilling race against Keanin Loomis.

"I think everybody knows there's a lot of work to be done, but there's also a lot of opportunities," she told Metro Morning on Tuesday, adding she plans to speak soon with the mayoral candidates she beat and newly elected councillors.

"Together we can really realize the potential of this city and I firmly believe that and that's going to be my job."

Horwath was born and raised in the city and was a Ward 2 city councillor from 1997 to 2004 before becoming Hamilton East MPP. In 2007, she became Hamilton Centre MPP and eventually leader of the Ontario NDP.

Ward 1 - Maureen Wilson

Maureen Wilson was first elected in 2018 and has been one of the city's more progressive councillors. This will be her second term after a decisive victory Monday.

She ran a campaign that focused on street safety, affordable housing and climate change.

Wilson issued a long statement on social media thanking everyone for her support.

"I have listened. I have learned. You want me to lead. I am not infallible. I know that I will makes mistakes but I promise that when I do so that I will acknowledge my errors and do my best to mitigate any negative impacts," she wrote.

"But mostly, I promise to get up every day to work hard and fulfill the very sacred mandate that you have once again given to me."

Some of her campaign promises include establish a walking advisory committee and creating a municipal loan fund to create and preserve affordable housing units.

Ward 2 - Cameron Kroetsch

Cameron Kroetsch, 43, ran in for the spot in 2018 but lost. This time, he beat incumbent Jason Farr by 1,207 votes after a race that saw candidates debate issues around transparency, development and encampments.

Kroetsch has served as city council's LGBTQ advisory committee chair and is a small business owner. 

Kroetsch posted on social media Tuesday morning to express gratitude on the big win.

"I know what it feels like to lose an election after pouring your heart into it ... queer neurodivergent folks just don't win very much. At least, that was my experience until last night," he wrote.

"But the people who surrounded our campaign with love never made me feel a bit of that, and, honestly, I credit their support for this win. They made this happen."

Some of his promises include collaborating with neighbourhoods to redesign unsafe streets and accelerating the expansion of green spaces and parks.

Ward 3 - Nrinder Nann

Nrinder Nann, 46, was first elected in 2018 and also has a reputation as one of the city's more progressive councillors.

She beat four other candidates after a race that focused on policing, street safety and safe injection sites.

"I am so truly hopeful for our #HamOnt tonight," she tweeted.

Her promises include setting a 30 per cent target for inclusionary zoning along the LRT corridor and recommending DART (door-to-door accessible transportation services) staff engage in a consultative process with service users to ensure that resident concerns are identified and addressed.

Ward 4 - Tammy Hwang

Tammy Hwang, 41, won a race with 10 other candidates and will be the city's first ever East Asian councillor.

She's taking over for longtime councillor Sam Merulla.

Hwang was full of excitement Tuesday morning after the big win.

"It felt like the craziest Superbowl football game ever," she said in a phone interview.

"A lot of my neighbours are already messaging me, they're like 'So, how about a crosswalk here?'"

Hwang said she wants to prioritize a traffic audit or Complete Streets survey in her ward.

Ward 5 - Matt Francis

Matt Francis, 32, also faced 10 candidates and beat them all to win the open ward. Longtime councillor Chad Collins became a Liberal MP in 2021 and was replaced temporarily with Russ Powers late last year. 

Francis previously fought to have the public gain access to the Hamilton and Burlington Canal piers. He also helped save the re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek of the War of 1812.

He posted on social media on Tuesday to share his excitement and thanks.

"I am looking forward to representing each and everyone of you and I will continue to work hard for you.

"I want to thank everyone who graciously took time out of their busy lives to volunteer, donate and vote - I couldn't have done this without you!"

His promises include no property tax hikes to pay for light-rail transit (LRT) cost overruns and forcing re-developed municipal lands to include an affordable housing component for seniors and people with disabilities.

Ward 6 - Tom Jackson

Tom Jackson, 66, is still councillor of Ward 6 after winning by a large margin.

He's been councillor since 1988.

At council, Jackson is among those who supported getting rid of the vaccination mandate for city workers.

He has also led efforts to create a safer viewing platform at Albion Falls, the location of numerous falls and injuries.

Jackson told CBC Hamilton he's "deeply grateful" to voters for re-electing him.

"Much accomplished, much to do still," he wrote.

Ward 7 - Esther Pauls

Esther Pauls was re-elected after a hard fought race against political heavyweight Scott Duvall.

She was first elected in 2018.

"During my first four years, I learned the inner workings of municipal government, better understanding city council and its committees, liaising with hundreds of Hamiltonians – both inside and outside of Ward 7 – and addressing their concerns about our city," Pauls said in a statement.

"I can't wait to get back to work for you. We have lots of work to do."

Ward 8 - John-Paul Danko

John-Paul Danko is still Ward 8 councillor, comfortably winning the race Monday.

He was first elected in 2018.

"Grateful for the confidence of #Ward8Hamilton residents allowing me the honour to serve a second term," he wrote after his win.

"We could not have done it without the support of our fantastic campaign team, my family and friends."

Some of his platform planks included investing in local parks, licensing absentee landlords and extensive traffic calming.

Ward 9 - Brad Clark

Brad Clark, first elected in 2018, earned a second term as councillor.

Clark, 62, won with an 1,160 vote lead.

He was a Progressive Conservative member of provincial parliament in the Stoney Creek riding from 1999 to 2003, with stints as minister of transportation and minister of labour.

Then he served as Ward 9 councillor from 2006 to 2014. He ran for mayor, but lost to outgoing mayor Fred Eisenberger. Clark became councillor again in 2018.

"I am so happy and humbly grateful for the support of Ward 9 voters," he wrote in an email.

Clark said some of his areas of focus include tackling the capital budget with a priority on the state of repair of roads and sidewalks, as well as plans to rejuvenate his ward's playground equipment in at least one park each year. 

Ward 10 - Jeff Beattie

Jeff Beattie, 47, won a three-way race defeating incumbent Maria Pearson and is now the councillor-elect for Ward 10.

He, Louie Milojevic and Pearson ran against each other in 2018, but Pearson won.

She has been the councillor in the ward since 2003.

Beattie told CBC Hamilton it may have seemed like an upset to some but called the win a victory for the community, especially for those concerned about density in the area.

"The community was finally looking for something different," he said.

He said he wants to focus on how the city will respond to Ontario Land Tribunal appeals from developers.

Ward 11 - Mark Tadeson

Mark Tadeson was elected Ward 11's new councillor, winning by a slim margin of 83 votes.

By edging out Nick Lauwers, Tadeson will take over from Brenda Johnson.

Lauwers expressed concerns about voting issues, but said he won't ask for a recount.

He also congratulated Tadeson, saying the councillor-elect is a "great guy."

Tadeson didn't post to social media about the win.

Ward 12 - Craig Cassar

Craig Cassar, 47,  will be replacing Lloyd Ferguson as Ward 12's councillor.

He won the race by 2,359 votes, beating nine competitors in a packed, open race.

"Thanks to those who ran for councillor in Ward 12 and those who volunteered their time to support them," he wrote on social media.

"Everyone who steps forward and puts their hat into the ring does so with the intention of creating a stronger community."

Some of his promises included ensuring more blended development in Ancaster that respects architectural heritage and working to decarbonize industry, transportation and buildings in the city.

Ward 13 - Alex Wilson

Alex Wilson, 25, is tied with former councillor Chad Collins as the youngest person to ever be elected councillor. Collins was also 25 when he was first elected.

Wilson, who uses they/them pronouns, is also the first ever openly non-binary person to be elected councillor.

On top of all that, they beat longtime incumbent Arlene VanderBeek.

Wilson said their campaign focused on intergenerational issues and made an effort to recognize younger residents.

"We connected these issues that maybe people see as young people issues ... across the gamut," they said.

Wilson said their priorities are addressing housing and climate change.

Ward 14 - Michael Spadafora

Mike Spadafora won the tightest race in the city, beating Kojo Damptey by 79 votes. (Damptey told CBC Hamilton Tuesday he was planning to ask for a recount for the ward.)

Spadafora didn't respond to requests for comment and didn't post on social media about his win.

Spadafora is president of Hamilton Kilty Bs Junior Hockey Club, as well as director of hockey operations and general manager of the Hamilton Huskies Hockey Club.

He ran as the Progressive Conservative member of provincial parliament candidate for Hamilton Mountain during the provincial election earlier this year.

Ward 15 - Ted McMeekin

Ted McMeekin, 74, was the highest-profile candidate in the running for Ward 15.

He's now the oldest councillor to be elected since amalgamation.

Besides being a five-term Liberal member of provincial parliament for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale and Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot, he's also a former city councillor, mayor of Flamborough, social worker and bookstore owner.

He's taking over for Judi Partridge.

"Hamilton has chosen. Wishing our new leaders great courage, deep confidence, and the ability to collaboratively build vision for the entire city," he wrote on social media.

"The opportunity to truly change the culture at city hall and to set a better course for the future is in your hands. I'm with you."

Among his promises were to expedite the construction of a new joint police and fire station, the Waterdown bypass and a new English-language public school.