Is Hamilton heading back to the polls? Councillors talk byelection to fill Danko's seat
Hamilton councillors say they want a byelection, or are 'leaning toward' one, to replace outgoing colleague
John-Paul Danko
after his federal election win.
That's better than appointing someone with the October 2026 municipal election more than a year away, councillors suggested Tuesday.
'It's the more democratic way to go,' Coun. Cameron Kroetsch said of temporarily filling the central-west Mountain seat.
The Ward 8 council representative should be 'publicly elected' rather than chosen through an interview-appointment process, Kroetsch said.
A byelection is the 'democratic' thing to do, Coun. Ted McMeekin also said, noting there's 'lots of time' to organize a ward-specific contest.
Danko, who took an unpaid leave to run federally,
cruised to victory
Monday in Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, keeping the riding for the Liberals.
Reached Tuesday, the second-term councillor said he still has 'a few loose ends' to tie up before he resigns and is sworn in as MP.
'Whether that's me doing that personally at next week's council meeting or one of my colleagues, I'm not sure yet.'
The city's clerk's office didn't immediately respond to The Spectator's questions about filling the Ward 8 seat.
The last time an in-term council vacancy arose was in 2021, when Ward 5's Chad Collins won Hamilton East—Stoney Creek for the federal Liberals.
The past council opted to temporarily fill the vacancy through appointment rather than a byelection, selecting former Dundas councillor
Russ Powers
with just under a year to go in the term.
In that process, hopefuls made five-minute pitches to council about why they were best suited to temporarily represent Ward 5.
That selection exercise was estimated to cost $10,000, while a byelection was pegged at $190,000.
Hamilton has done both over the years.
In 2018, former alderman
Terry Anderson
was appointed for Ward 7 after Donna Skelly won Flamborough-Glanbrook for the provincial Tories.
But Skelly had won her ward seat in a
2016 byelection
with a 22-candidate field after Scott Duvall won the Mountain for the federal NDP.
In 2014, former mayor
Bob Morrow
was appointed to fill in after the death of Ward 3 Coun. Bernie Morelli.
With the dust still settling on Danko's win, some councillors said they hadn't yet decided the best way to choose a Ward 8 fill-in.
Coun. Jeff Beattie said he's 'open-minded' to options but suggested an appointment would more likely result in a 'caretaker' as opposed to someone who has a long-term city vision in mind.
'I'm not sure that serves the community very well.'
Likewise, Coun. Craig Cassar said 'democracy needs to happen' via a byelection, but added he's willing to listen to all the factors involved.
Coun. Matt Francis said he's leaning toward a byelection, calling it the 'best opportunity' to select someone to represent constituents in a proper fashion.
Ward residents, not city politicians, should choose their ward representatives, Coun. Alex Wilson said.
'I certainly know that Hamiltonians expect to be engaged and … that's what I'm going to continue to put forward.'
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