Several new candidates have joined the municipal election race in Hamilton just before the 2 p.m. deadline on Friday. Among them are former councillor Terry Whitehead in Ward 8, three fresh mayoral candidates, and two additional contenders in Ward 5, preventing the uncontested re-election of current councillor Matt Francis.
The upcoming municipal election is scheduled for October 26. The city confirmed that the final list of candidates who submitted their nominations by the deadline was published on the city’s website late Friday afternoon. The list of certified candidates will be released on Monday, according to city officials.
Notable among the late entrants is former Ward 8 councillor Terry Whitehead, who previously served from 2003 to 2018 and then as Ward 14 councillor from 2018 to 2022. Whitehead had faced sanctions from the city’s integrity commissioner in 2021 for mistreatment of staff and had opted not to seek re-election to his council position.
In the upcoming election in Ward 8, Whitehead will compete against Dawn Danko, wife of former councillor John Paul Danko, who is a former school board trustee and provincial candidate.
A total of three wards will see new faces as no incumbents are seeking re-election. Ward 10 and Ward 13 will have new councillors due to the absence of incumbents Jeff Beattie and Alex Wilson, respectively. Ward 5 will also witness a contested race with candidates Ahmad Khan and Juanita Maldonado challenging incumbent Matt Francis.
Meanwhile, the races in Ward 12 and Ward 14 have the least number of contestants. In Ward 12, former police services board chair Fred Bennink will run against current councillor Craig Cassar. In Ward 14, councillor Mike Spadafora will face off against former rival Kojo Damptey in a rematch of the closely contested 2022 election.
Three new contenders have entered the mayoral race, including David Mark Cherkewski, David Harrison, and Erin Janus. Cherkewski, an anti-poverty advocate and former participant in Ontario’s basic income pilot, has been vocal about poverty alleviation in Hamilton. Janus is known for her work as a musician, YouTuber, and filmmaker focusing on animal rights and veganism. Information about Harrison’s campaign was not available online as of Friday.
These additions bring the total number of mayoral candidates to 13, with Mayor Andrea Horwath having joined the race the previous week.