Do political endorsements in city council races matter to you?

In the crowded slate of Ward 7 byelection candidates, endorsements are flying — from sitting MPs to current city councillors to trade unions.

But some of the most experienced in the race claim they come with a dark downside.

Uzma Qureshi has racked up endorsements from a handful of sitting NDP members — Hamilton Mountain MPP Monique Taylor, Hamilton Centre MP David Christopherson, and Scott Duvall, the former Ward 7 councillor who became an MP and triggered the March 21 byelection.

Former Hamilton Mountain MPPs Brian Charlton and Chris Charlton — Duvall replaced the latter — have endorsed Geraldine McMullen. She and Qureshi also have numerous steelworker union endorsements.

Big party politics has no place at city hall.- Bob Charters, Ward 7 candidate

Howard Rabb has the endorsement of Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8 — his former boss. The presidents of Hamilton Mountain Liberal and Green Party associations — Chris Latour and Nina Clements — have also endorsed Rabb.

Other candidates, such as Donna Skelly and Doug Farraway, have personal endorsements on their websites, but no political ones.

• Call out fellow councillors when they put down other cultures: Myrie
• ​Poverty on the Mountain is unique — so are its housing issues

Endorsements help candidates stand out, especially in a slate of 22. But Bob Charters, a Ward 7 candidate and former three-time alderman, says he's never sought or accepted them.

It's no different than when you apply for a job and supply references.- Howard Rabb, Ward 7 candidate

"Big party politics has no place at city hall," he said. Municipal politicians have to deal with every party, he said, and it's "unhealthy" when their biases show.

"If their hope and dream is to run provincially or federally, then they're doing what the party tells them," he said.

Furthermore, "an endorsement expects something in return."

There should not be any politician at any level interfering in this civic election, and yet we have an MP, MPP and current sitting council member not only endorsing but knocking on doors for candidates.- Doug Farraway, Ward 7 candidate

Some other candidates echo this, at least when it comes to political parties. "It is a mistake to bring partisan politics into a municipal race," Skelly said, "and that has been supported by the comments I hear at the door."

As for Farraway, "There should not be any politician at any level interfering in this civic election, and yet we have an MP, MPP and current sitting council member not only endorsing but knocking on doors for candidates," he said. "That's just wrong."

Not everyone agrees. Rabb said endorsements merely serve to "demonstrate a level of confidence that one person has in another."

"It helps cut through a little bit of the noise, and it shows people who may not necessarily know you that other people in similar positions feel you could do that same work."

"It's no different than when you apply for a job and supply references."

Voters like to use short cuts to make decisions.- Henry Jacek, McMaster University political scientist

McMullen said in her case, she works for NDP caucus services at the Ontario legislature, so it's not like she can hide her party affiliation anyway.

Charlton's endorsement just shows that she has credentials, McMullen said.

"At the end of the day, the voters will decide and I respect that."

Some endorsements matter more than others, said Henry Jacek, a McMaster University political scientist. The best list a person's name and position, and glowing attributes about a candidate.

Every person on that council belongs to a party, whether they like it or not.- Scott Duvall, MP

"The endorsement becomes very important when you have 22 candidates," Jacek said. "If you're an ordinary voter, you might not know any of these people."

"What happens is (the endorsement) is a short cut for voters. Voters like to use short cuts to make decisions."

Duvall dismisses the notion that party endorsements add awkwardness to municipal politics.

"Every person on that council belongs to a party, whether they like it or not," he said. Endorsements "have never weighed in any of my decisions.

"Sometimes I voted against NDP policies. It was what the people of Ward 7 wanted."

Thursday was the first advance voting day for the byelection.

The Ward 7 candidates are as follows:

• Robert Bolton
• Philip Bradshaw
• Shaun Burt
• Bob Charters
• John-Paul Danko
• Doug Farraway
• Tim Gordon
• Chelsey Heroux
• Luc Hetu
• Geraldine McMullen
• Glenn Murphy
• Paul Nagy
• Anthony Nicholl
• Jeanne Pacey
• Uzma Qureshi
• Howard Rabb
• Mohammad Shahrouri
• Donna Skelly
• Damin Starr
• Louis Vecchioni
• Robert Young
• Hans Zuriel

How to vote in the Ward 7 election

Voting day: Monday, March 21, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Where to vote: hamilton.ca/elections/where-to-vote or call 905-546-4365

Advance Voting: Saturday, March 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Sackville Hill Seniors Centre, 780 Upper Wentworth St.

samantha.craggs@cbc.ca | @SamCraggsCBC