The 2000 election sent seven out of eight incumbents back to City Hall from the original city. The new suburban seats were all filled by individuals who were active in their respective town councils.
Ward 1 Upon the announcement that the number of councillors elected per ward would be reduced to one, incumbent Councillor Mary Kiss announced her retirement. A fixture on council since 1982, Kiss was known for her hands-on approach to local government, facilitating improvements to local infrastructure and responding quickly to the needs of her constituents. Former Ward 1 councillor and Regional Chair Terry Cooke noted her retirement signalled "the end of an era." By the end of September 2000, a number of candidates had registered. Among the candidates were
Wally Zatylny, a
wide receiver with the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1988 to 1994, Ray Paquette, the owner of a local restaurant and bar, Chuck McPhail, a former councillor in
Brantford, and incumbent councillor Marvin Caplan. These candidates were joined by Phyllis Tresidder, the president of a local
homeowner's association, Al Martino, the owner of a local
nursing home, and Andy Straisfeld, a
natural gas salesman. The Ward 1 campaign was one of the most intense in the city, with the top candidates battling for the single seat. Tresidder, who received the endorsement of Kiss and former
Hamilton West MPP and
Minister of Colleges and Universities Richard Allen, was one of the first candidates to promote a website outlining their platform and
e-mail as a way of communicating with voters. Tresidder highlighted environmental concerns, improved transit, and community consultation on developments as her main concerns. Caplan sought to run a "balanced" campaign, saying he wanted to make sure the city was "taking care of the poorest among us while being fair to the wealthy." Late in the campaign, Caplan was again targeted for his vote in favour of an expansion to Hamilton's urban boundary in a letter sent to Ward 1 residents by a group calling itself the "Responsible Ratepayers Coalition" Zatylny focused his campaign on keeping taxes low, addressing issues caused by off-campus student housing around
McMaster University, and saving the Chedoke ski hill. McPhail ran for a seat on
Brantford City Council in
1972,
1974, and
1976 before winning election for the city's fifth ward in
1980. He was re-elected in
1982 and did not seek re-election in 1985. He attempted to return to council in
1994, but was not successful. At one time, he served as chair of the
Brant County Social Services committee. McPhail was a vocal critic of the transition board for the new, amalgamated city of Hamilton. On November 13, 2000, Caplan secured a third term on council, telling the Spectator on election night, "I think I'm a pretty good member of council but maybe not that good as a politician." Horwath's campaign focused on developing a sense of pride in the new City of Hamilton and continuing work to bring new jobs to downtown Hamilton. The incumbent councillor also cited a need for supporting social services, cleaning up the city's waterfront, and strengthening local
Business Improvement Areas. During the campaign, former Mayor Jack MacDonald drew some controversy when, in endorsing Corsini, lambasted Horwath, writing in the Spectator that the councillor "has too often been co-opted by the dark side of council. When push comes to shove, Andrea shows herself to be a
left-wing socialist." Horwath and Corsini were joined in the race by former Ward 2 councillor Ed Fisher. Fisher, who served on council from 1976 to 1980, ran a restaurant on
James Street North and cited taxes as his primary concern for running. He was accused by Corsini of only seeking election in opposition to a new city bylaw that limited smoking in restaurants. At the time, there was speculation that Morelli would use his council seat as a springboard to launch a campaign for mayor. Monahan said he encountered confusion during the campaign thanks to the
overlapping federal election and voter confusion over where to cast a ballot. Remaining incumbent councillor Dave Wilson signaled his intention to seek another term despite controversy. Wilson was the subject of a formal harassment complaint after sharing sexually-inappropriate jokes with city staff using his formal councillor's email address. Wilson faced scrutiny for a
libel suit against a former councillor and an employee of the regional sewage plant in which a judge called Wilson "disingenuous". The suit, which centred around Wilson's claim that former councillor John Gallagher had menaced an employee with a cane, ended up costing taxpayers $340,000. Before the close of nominations, Dowhaniuk quietly withdrew his name from contention. Bob Lewis, a candidate in Stoney Creek in 1997, campaigned on a platform of better managing local concerns over the Red Hill Valley Expressway and the Solid Waste Reduction Unit (SWARU) incinerator, as well as painting crosswalks with
fluorescent paint and securing after-hours access to local schools. Merulla's campaign was accused of sending anonymous flyers highlighting Wilson's legal problems, while Wilson's campaign accused Merulla of violating election finance laws. The other candidates in the race noted the negative tone and excessive spending by both candidates hampered their chances, though Godfrey announced he would contest the seat again in
2003. Upon his announcement, former Ward 7 councillor Henry Merling announced he was considering a political comeback, having been defeated by Bill Kelly in the previous election. Incumbent Bill Kelly sought election after local media praised his first term. Kelly, a former radio broadcaster, ran on a platform of tax cuts and continued service. Though he stopped short of an endorsement, local entrepreneur Ron Foxcroft donated to Kelly's campaign, noting "I'll be blunt. I was one of the people who persuaded Bill Kelly to run for his first term and I'm not bailing out on him."
Chris Charlton sought the Ward 7 seat on a platform of stopping government waste, maintaining the city's urban boundary, halting
privatization of government services, saving urban greenspace, and bringing mixed incomes into the downtown core. Charlton, a past NDP candidate on Hamilton Mountain federally in
1997 and provincially in
1999, was the spouse of former Hamilton Mountain MPP
Brian Charlton. Former Mayor Jack MacDonald, writing in the Spectator, critiqued Charlton for her opposition to the Red Hill Valley Expressway. Anne Bain, the last Mayor of Stoney Creek, opted to run in Ward 9 despite living in Ward 10. Bain ran on a platform of limiting development to manage transportation issues and supporting the construction of the Red Hill Valley Expressway. During the campaign, Bain drew attention for her relaxed style, sporting tracksuits and running shoes on the campaign trail. Bain told the Spectator, "I'm not going to canvass in high heels. I'm not out there to impress people with what I'm wearing. And the women I meet at the door, they are not dressed up." The campaign featured a notable lack of hostility toward Stoney Creek's amalgamation with Hamilton, with voters noting they believed their community would retain its character and that the merger would make it more possible for the Red Hill Valley Expressway to be built. On election night, the ward's race was one of the city's closest. Bain earned 64 more votes than Miller, with Charters very close begind. The closeness of the election prompted Miller to request a formal recount, with his campaign claiming 154 more votes were cast than counted. The resulting recount only added 46 more ballots and reaffirmed Bain as the winner of the election.
Ward 10 The neawly created Ward 10 encompassed much of the former town of Stoney Creek below the Niagara Escarpment. A diverse ward, it included many of the city's cultural communities, with the Spectator commenting on the ward's "large
Italian,
Croatian,
Serbian,
Polish,
German and
Dutch populations, as well as a growing
Sikh community." A number of Stoney Creek's local politicians registered to seek the open Ward 10 seat. Former deputy mayor Albert Marrone, and former councillors Larry Di Ianni and Maria Pearson faced off for the seat while the last Mayor of Stoney Creek, Anne Bain, had originally registered for the seat but dropped out and re-registered in Ward 9 before the close of nominations. Marrone, who did not live in the ward, ran on a platform of lowering taxes while continuing to keep services functioning as well as improving roads and local infrastructure. All Ward 10 candidates complained about confusion among voters about where polls were being held and when voting was occurring.
Ward 11 In early September, the last Mayor of Glanbrook, Glen Everington, and former Glanbrook regional council member Dave Mitchell announced they would be contesting the new seat, which blended the former municipality of Glanbrook with parts of rural Stoney Creek. Two former Ancaster council members, Murray Ferguson and Brian Kerman entered the race to represent the new ward on Hamilton City Council. Ferguson, who earned the endorsement of former mayor Jack MacDonald, was a local businessman and active citizen, serving on the
Hamilton Conservation Authority, local volunteer boards, and had twice been nominated as Ancaster's "Citizen of the Year". Ferguson, who was first elected to Ancaster Town Council in 1994, campaigned on incorporating Ancaster into Hamilton in a harmonious way and better listening to community groups. At the time, the ward had no municipal water or sewer services and relied on local septic systems. Kidd campaigned on making improvements to
Highway 6.
Ward 15 ==See also==