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 bedrastically 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'sfirst East Asian councillor, the oldest councillor to be elected since amalgamation, as well assomeonewho is tied with a previous councillor as theyoungest person to ever be electedand is also the city's first openlynon-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 themayoral 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 tobe my job."

Horwath wasborn and raised in the city andwas aWard 2 city councillor from 1997 to 2004 before becoming Hamilton EastMPP. In 2007, she became Hamilton Centre MPPand 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 anddo my best to mitigate any negative impacts," she wrote.

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

Some of her campaign promises include establish awalking advisory committee and creatinga 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 by1,207 votes after a race that saw candidates debate issues aroundtransparency, development and encampments.

Kroetsch has served as city council'sLGBTQ 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 acceleratingthe 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 includesetting a 30 per centtarget for inclusionaryzoning 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 councillorSam Merulla.

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

"It felt like the craziest Superbowlfootball 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 towin the open ward. Longtime councillor Chad Collins became a Liberal MP in 2021 and wasreplaced temporarily withRuss Powers late last year.

Francis previously fought to have the public gain access to the Hamilton and Burlington Canal piers. He also helpedsavethe 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 noproperty tax hikes to pay for light-rail transit (LRT) cost overruns andforcing 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 ofWard 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 andinjuries.

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 fouryears, I learned the inner workings of municipal government, better understanding city council and its committees, liaising with hundreds of Hamiltonians both inside and outside ofWard 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 raceMonday.

He was first elected in 2018.

"Grateful for the confidence of #Ward8Hamiltonresidents 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 aProgressive Conservative member of provincial parliamentin the Stoney Creek riding from 1999 to 2003, with stints as ministerof transportation and minister of labour.

Then he served asWard 9 councillor from 2006 to 2014. He ran for mayor, but lost to outgoing mayor Fred Eisenberger. Clarkbecame 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 focusincludetackling 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 incumbentMaria Pearson and is now the councillor-elect for Ward 10.

He, Louie Milojevicand Pearsonran against each other in 2018, but Pearson won.

She has been thecouncillor in the wardsince 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 Tadesonwas elected Ward 11's new councillor, winning by a slim margin of 83 votes.

By edging outNick Lauwers, Tadesonwill take over fromBrenda Johnson.

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

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

Tadeson didn't post to social mediaabout the win.

Ward 12 -Craig Cassar

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

He won the race by2,359 votes, beating nine competitors in a packed, open race.

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

"Everyone who steps forward andputs 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 respectsarchitectural 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 asthe youngest person to ever be elected councillor.Collins was also25 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 addressinghousing and climate change.

Ward 14 -Michael Spadafora

Mike Spadaforawon 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 hiswin.

Spadaforaispresident 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 earlierthis year.

Ward 15 -Ted McMeekin

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

He's nowthe oldest councillor to be elected since amalgamation.

Besides being a five-termLiberal member of provincial parliament forAncasterDundasFlamboroughWestdaleandAncaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot, he's also aformer 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 expeditethe construction of a new joint police and fire station, the Waterdown bypass and a new English-language public school.