The following are the criteria used by this publication to define who is a front-runner candidate in the contest to be Mayor of Hamilton:
- Holds, or has held within the past decade, broadly elected office in Hamilton (e.g. City Council, a provincial legislature, or the federal Parliament); or
- Leads, or has led, (e.g. CEO or Executive Director) an organization with an annual budget greater than $1.5 million; or
- Independent polling showing the candidate at 8 per cent or more (including undecided voters) on Labour Day. The poll must originate from a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council.
Candidates meeting one of these these criteria will be interviewed as part of The 155 Podcast.
There is a need to define who is a front-runner in the election, because this outlet has limited resources. It is not possible to interview all the mayoral candidates.
The criteria above are viewpoint neutral.
The Criteria Explained
Holding public office: Someone who has successfully won public office has proven they are capable of organizing and managing a large campaign. I presume they have the experience and skills necessary to fulfill the role of mayor.
Leading a $1.5 million budget: An organization of this size has a level of complexity that reflects the base skills required to lead a complex organization, lead teams, and engage in strategic planning.
Polling of 8 per cent or more (including undecided voters) on Labour Day: I’ve chosen 8 per cent as the threshold to include “underdog” candidates who’ve succeeded at breaking through during the summer campaign awareness period.
Why 8 per cent? I’ve based this on the lowest polling number I’m aware of at Labour Day for an eventually successful mayoral candidate in a major Canadian city.
In 2014, Winnipeg’s Brian Bowman reached 13 per cent in a pre-Labour Day poll conducted by a CRIC member firm. Bowman went on to win with 47.5 per cent of the vote.
I decided to set my threshold lower than Bowman’s 13 per cent to be more generous in the event of an underdog situation. 8 per cent is the threshold I am using.
These criteria only apply to candidates running for Mayor. I’ve extended interview invitations to all candidates running for City Council, the public school board, and the Catholic school board.
Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: September 1, 2026
Last updated: September 1, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
Discussion
1 commentI think you should give each and every candidate an opportunity to post 200 words why they should be mayor.
Ideally, in a world where people are reading more and deeply, I’d suggest a 2,000 word essay.
Another thing you could do is create a list of the top ten issues as you see them and ask for their comments. Limit the questions and their responses to issues that the mayor will actually have significant or total control over.
So much of municipal politics is subject to federal and provincial legislation which the vast majority have no idea, yet expect city council to achieve greatness while they are under two very large thumbs.
Then have a vote who gets interviewed.