Majority of Hamilton council planning to run for reelection this year

The majority of Hamilton’s city councillors, and the city’s mayor, say they’re planning to run for their positions again in the municipal election happening later this year. 

When asked by CBC Hamilton this month if they plan to run for their positions in the election set for Oct. 26, 11 current councillors and Mayor Andrea Horwath said yes. 

None gave a hard no, but two didn’t respond before publication: Ward 13 (Dundas) Coun. Alex Wilson, elected for the first time four years ago, and Ward 6 Coun. Tom Jackson, the longest-sitting member of the council horseshoe, in office since 1988. 

Ward 15 (Flamborough) Coun. Ted McMeekin, who was elected to the post in 2022, is taking his time to make a decision on whether to run again, he told CBC Hamilton on Thursday. 

McMeekin – who’s had a long political career, including time as a Member of Provincial Parliament, mayor of Flamborough and as a Hamilton councillor in a ward on the Mountain in the late 1970s – said he’ll probably wait until close to the Aug. 21 deadline to decide.

“I don’t feel a sense of urgency around making a decision,” said McMeekin, who plans to consult with his wife and children. “I’m getting a lot of encouragement from the people I am privileged to represent. That's comforting. People seem to be reasonably happy with the job I’m doing.”

The nomination period, in which candidates formally submit their candidacy, goes from May 1 to Aug. 21. The list of certified candidates will be available Aug. 24.

The other councillor to not give a definitive response was Rob Cooper, the newest member of the group. Cooper was elected in September in Ward 8 after former councillor John-Paul Danko became a member of Parliament. Cooper says he’s definitely running again, but hasn’t decided if it will be for his council seat or for mayor.

In an interview on Tuesday, Cooper told CBC Hamilton that, because of the amount of power the mayor holds over budgetary issues in the strong mayor system, he felt shut out of the rate-supported water budget process, which happened in late 2025. 

As councillors’ opportunity to weigh in on the tax-supported budget gets started in earnest on Friday, going for about the next month, Cooper says he will use the experience to guide his decision. If the process mirrors his experience with the water budget, "it's not going to work for me,” he said.

“I'm trying to keep an open mind and be collaborative,” he said, “but the way this is set up right now, If you want to make seismic change in a community like Hamilton, there's only one way to do it – through being the mayor.”

Loomis doesn't rule out taking on Horwath again

CBC Hamilton also reached out to the runners-up in the 2022 mayoral race — Keanin Loomis, the president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, and former mayor Bob Bratina — asking about their intentions to run for mayor this year.

In 2022, Horwath won with 59,216 votes. Loomis trailed closely behind with 57,553 and Bratina received 17,436 votes.

Loomis said he would “have more to say about this in the coming weeks.” 

Bratina said he would sit this one out.

“I have been asked numerous times by well-meaning people who seem to be very upset with the current administration,” Bratina told CBC Hamilton in an email last week.

“My wife (of 60 years this May) is recovering from heart surgery. Caregivers here are amazing but beleaguered with funding needs while the profligate council wastes time, money and property on a needless streetcar.”

Bratina is a former Liberal MP who declined to run in a subsequent election out of frustration for his government’s support of light-rail transit in Hamilton. He told CBC last week that if he were so inclined to run for office, it would be for the federal or provincial Conservatives in Hamilton Centre.

Councillors keen to see through ongoing projects

Of the incumbents planning to run again, most said they were looking forward to seeing through projects still underway, and many said they’d heard from constituents who wanted them to run again. 

“I feel very honoured to have heard from hundreds of my neighbours over the past four months stating their support for my re-election,” said Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann.

Ward 7 Coun. Esther Pauls and Ward 10 (Stoney Creek) Coun. Jeff Beattie said they would remain focused on reining in taxes, among numerous local projects.

“I will continue fighting for the lowest taxes possible as we navigate challenging financial times,” said Pauls, who also said expanding Rymal Road, improving her ward’s parks, traffic safety and crime reduction are among her priorities. “I hear time and again from residents that rising costs are making survival almost unsustainable. This is not acceptable.”

Beattie said he would “advocate for the city [to] refocus on our core services.”

Ward 4 Coun. Tammy Hwang said she was aiming to build on momentum in her ward, “from laying the groundwork for a more vibrant Kenilworth Street to tackling the North End’s complex infrastructure and pollution challenges. These long-term projects require steady, consistent leadership to move from the planning stages to reality, and I am fully committed.”

Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch had a long list of projects he would like to continue to steward, including improvements to Beasley Park, Strachan Linear Park, Eastwood Park and Eastwood Arena. 

“Stepping up to run for council is a commitment and I take it pretty seriously,” he said.