Ward 8 residents to head back to the polls to replace councillor in byelection

Residents of Ward 8 in Hamilton are likely to be back at the polls once again after city councillors voted Wednesday to hold a byelection there to replace former councillor John-Paul Danko, who was recently elected as a member of parliament.

Before a 13 to 1 decision that must be ratified by council to be finalized, councillors shared feedback from constituents who had not supported past councils' choices to appoint fill-in councillors for those who left the job, instead of holding elections.

"I support a byelection to give residents the opportunity to exercise their democratic right," said Ward 5's Matt Francis, noting that after his predecessor Chad Collins got elected federally, he heard complaints about the appointment of former councillor Russ Powers, not because of Powers himself but due to the method of selection. "The appointment was very unpopular."

At the time, 21 hopefuls gave five-minute presentations before council selected Powers to hold the position until the 2022 election. 

Some councillors said a byelection would be a good exercise in city-building, with Ward 6's Tom Jackson implying he'd heard of several people who were interested in running. Ward 15's Ted McMeekin said he looked forward to seeing who they were.

"I can't think of anything that would energize the city more than 14 thoughtful, caring, intelligent people going door to door and listening to them about what they think is important," he said. "Sometimes we understand the cost of everything but the value of things less."

Mark Tadeson of Ward 11 was the only councillor to vote against, citing the time it would take and the cost. A city report says it would cost $10,000 to appoint a councillor, compared to $200,000 to hold an election.

Based on provincial regulations, the byelection day is expected to be around November. City clerk Matthew Trennum cautioned potential candidates against campaigning and spending money before the election is officially called.

The next general municipal election is slated for October 2026.