Meet your new Hamilton city council
There will be several new faces at city hall in the upcoming term
The 2018 municipal election is in the books, and Hamilton city council has a bunch of new faces.
Here's a look at your new city council.
Mayor: Fred Eisenberger
Fred Eisenberger will serve another term as Hamilton's mayor, beating out challenger Vito Sgro in a hotly contested race.
The mayoral election largely boiled down to one omnipresent issue: LRT. Eisenberger is a staunch supporter of light rail transit in Hamilton, and has been since the beginning. Sgro, by contrast, ran on a platform focused on stopping "Fred's train."
Eisenberger was mayor from 2006 to 2010, and again from 2014 to 2018. His website platform cites priorities of economic development, investments in the future and sustainable city building.
Ward 1: Maureen Wilson
Maureen Wilson is the newly elected Ward 1 councillor, taking over after Aidan Johnson vacated the seat to serve as the executive director for the Niagara Community Legal Clinic.
Wilson has worked in senior staff positions in local and regional governments, and served as former mayor Bob Wade's chief of staff for two years right after amalgamation.
Ward 2: Jason Farr
Former broadcaster Jason Farr has been re-elected as Ward 2 councillor, a council seat he has held since 2010.
Farr has spoken out in favour of development around the council table in recent years, and is also pro-LRT and pro-supervised injection sites.
Ward 3: Nrinder Nann
After managing the campaign of outgoing councillor Matthew Green in 2014, Nrinder Nann is taking over as Ward 3 councillor.
She is the former manager of community development for the City of Toronto, where she managed a team of 17 community developers and oversaw a multi-million dollar budget. She's also a small business owner.
Ward 4: Sam Merulla
Sam Merulla is back as the councillor for Ward 4, a seat he has held since 2000.
Merulla is one of the most vocal councillors at city hall, and is an ardent supporter of LRT. In his time around the council table, Merulla has sat on committees like board of health, public works, and emergency and community services.
Ward 5: Chad Collins
Chad Collins has been re-elected as the councillor for Ward 5. He was first elected in a by-election back in 1995.
Collins has long been an advocate of affordable housing and modernising CityHousing Hamilton, and has pushed for redevelopment of the east and west harbour areas.
Ward 6: Tom Jackson
Hamilton's longest serving councillor will retain his title, as Tom Jackson returns to his council seat for Ward 6.
Jackson has said his priorities include traffic calming, senior's issues, housing, and transit.
Ward 7: Esther Pauls
Esther Pauls is the new councillor in Ward 7, beating out 10 other hopefuls for the council seat vacated by Donna Skelly, who is now an MPP for the Progressive Conservatives.
She says her priorities are safe streets and neighbourhoods, public transit and infrastructure that "works for everyone" and responsible government.
Ward 8: John-Paul Danko
Civil engineer John-Paul Danko has been elected councillor for the newly redrawn Ward 8. That ward had previously been represented by Coun. Terry Whitehead for many years, but this year Whitehead ran in Ward 14, under the new boundaries.
Danko is a small business owner, and sits on the executive board of the Centremount Neighbourhood Association.
Ward 9: Brad Clark
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss — Brad Clark has returned to city hall as the councillor in Ward 9.
Clark ran for mayor in 2014 after several years as a councillor, but lost to Fred Eisenberger. Doug Conley won the Ward 9 seat in his place, but Clark took it back this time around. The ward itself is slightly different this time around though. The redrawn boundaries mean Ward 9 will only cover upper Stoney Creek.
Ward 10: Maria Pearson
Maria Pearson is returning as councillor for the newly redrawn Ward 10, where she has represented Stoney Creek for the last 15 years.
Pearson counts traffic and speeding, safety, transit and development as key issues facing the ward moving forward.
Ward 11: Brenda Johnson
Incumbent Brenda Johnson is back as councillor in Ward 11, representing the Binbrook and Glanbrook area.
She says her priorities are community safety and keeping taxes low.
Ward 12: Lloyd Ferguson
Lloyd Ferguson is back as the councillor for Ward 12. He retired as the general manager of Dufferin Construction after 32 years before being elected to city council.
Ferguson was the chair of the police services board for the previous term.
He counts the redevelopment of Memorial School for a cultural arts centre, the Southcote Road urbanization from Garner Road to Golflinks Road and development of the 403 westbound ramp at Mohawk Road as some of the key issues facing Ancaster.
Ward 13: Arlene Vanderbeek
Incumbent Arlene VanderBeek is returning to council in Ward 13, as Dundas now shares a ward with parts of rural Flamborough with new ward boundaries.
She says the top issues facing her ward include infrastructure renewal, protection and preservation of the character and identity of Flamborough and Dundas, and increased policing and by-law enforcement.
Ward 14: Terry Whitehead
Longstanding councillor Terry Whitehead has been elected in Ward 14, a new ward on the west Mountain created by ward boundary realignment.
Whitehead has served on the police services board, and says the top issues facing his ward are keeping our residential taxes competitive, road infrastructure, public transit and road safety.
Ward 15: Judi Partridge
Incumbent councillor Judi Partridge narrowly edged out a victory in Ward 15, beating out Susan McKechnie by a slim margin.
Partridge ran for the Liberals in the last provincial election and lost. She also endorsed mayoral challenger Vito Sgro in this municipal election.