Mayor-elect Keanin Loomis will lead a City Council unlike any in modern times: Council is politically oriented to the right of centre, and nine of its 16 members, eight councillors and the mayor, are new.
This is a very different change election than the last one.
In 2022, everyone knew change was coming in 2022, even City Council. Mayor Fred Eisenberger and six incumbent councillors did not seek re-election.
In 2022, two of the nine incumbents who sought re-election were defeated (22 per cent). In 2026, six of the 13 incumbents who sought re-election were defeated (46 per cent): five councillors and Mayor Andrea Horwath. (Ward 8 Councillor Rob Cooper ran for mayor, placing second.)
2022 was about removing a scandal-plagued Council. 2026 was about removing a council that disappointed and frustrated Hamiltonians.
The 2022 to 2026 Council increased the gross operating budget by over 42 per cent, drained Hamilton’s discretionary reserve funds, and increased property taxes by 23 per cent. At the same time that Hamilton had the highest tax increases in Ontario, the quality of services decreased, roads crumbled, and basic things like online recreation registration do not work.
The biggest difference from 2022 is that the nine new council members all have clear instructions from the electorate: hold the line on taxes, and deliver better services.
Mayor-elect Loomis faces the daunting challenge of reconciling these two mandates.
In his opening remarks on day one of City Council’s orientation, Loomis stated, “while disagreement will happen, dysfunction is a choice.”
New Council Political Orientations
Let’s take a look at the politics, alignments, and stated philosophies of the incoming Council.
The Mayor (1)
Keanin Loomis will hold elected office for the first time.
He was the president and CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce from 2013 to 2022, leaving in 2022 to run for mayor. Loomis often speaks about being “the voice of business” during this time, and was among the key leadership figures pushing forward city-wide projects such as Hamilton’s light rail transit line.
Loomis has no declared political party affiliations, and municipal politics does not lend itself cleanly to party labels.
Loomis’ 2022 and 2026 platforms can be described as centre-right. In both the 2022 and 2026 municipal elections, he was the centre or centre-right candidate in races with three leading contenders. To his left politically both times was former Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, and to his political right was Bob Bratina in 2022 and in 2026, conservative organizer Rob Cooper.
In 2030, Loomis can expect a challenger to his right and likely one to his left, so he will need to keep broadening his centre-anchored coalition.
It will be fascinating to see where exactly he lands on the political spectrum in the coming months.
The Conservatives (4)
Four of the 15 ward councillors this coming term have strong ties to big-C Conservative politics.
Mike Spadafora was positioning to run for mayor in 2026, before Rob Cooper established himself as the conservative candidate. Spadafora will quickly work to establish his mayoral prospects for 2030 by positioning himself to the political right of the new mayor. He effectively uses Facebook videos to distribute his talking points, and is returning with a strong mandate from his constituents.
Ward 9 Councillor Jonathan Stathakos has been a Conservative campaign manager and staffer. He focused his campaign on lower taxes, public safety, roads, and addressing odours from the GFL landfill.
Ward 10 Councillor Nicole Trombetta‘s campaign affiliated with many big-C Conservatives, and she aligned her campaign with Rob Cooper’s mayoral bid.
(Trombetta is already embroiled in controversy following confirmation that her Facebook account was used to post anonymous attacks during the election campaign.)
Ward 12 Councillor Fred Bennink focused his campaign on taxes, infrastructure, and accountability. He was the Conservative candidate for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas during the 2022 provincial election.
While Bennink, Stathakos, and Trombetta have big-C Conservative affiliations, they should not be typecast before they have time to reveal themselves on Council.
The Unffiliated Small-c Conservative (1)
Ward 6 Councillor Tom Jackson will seek new spending on seniors initiatives, such as free transit for those age 65 and older, while also ensuring Ward 6 projects are included in the base budget. He is very effective at achieving his goals because he knows the internal City processes better than anyone else. Jackson was the Conservative candidate for Hamilton Mountain in the 2004 federal election. He no longer holds a formal party affiliation and has been a supporter of both Liberal and Conservative candidates during the past two decades.
The Right-of-Centre Liberal Bloc (2)
Ward 5 Councillor Matt Francis will continue his successful opposition posturing to advance his political goals this term. Francis continues to be informally aligned with Hamilton East—Stoney Creek Liberals while continuing to vote on the conservative side of issues at City Council.
Ward 4 Councillor Jason Farr was Ward 2 councillor between 2010 and 2022. While still Ward 2 Councillor, Farr ran for the Ontario Liberals in the spring 2022 provincial election. He lost his Ward 2 Council seat in the fall 2022 municipal election. A Ward 3 resident, Farr correctly calculated that the Ward 4 incumbent was vulnerable, and returns to City Council for what will be his fourth term.
The Middle, and The Yet-to-Be-Determined Newcomers (4)
Ward 11 Councillor Mark Tadeson was a swing vote during the last Council term. He voted based on what he saw as the best long-term interests of Hamilton as a whole. He thoroughly reads every agenda, and is serious about the work of governing. I expect he will remain a swing vote.
Three of the new councillors ran on platforms that indicate a right-of-centre view on municipal fiscal policy.
Ward 7’s Mark Daly campaigned on fixing infrastructure, controlling taxes, and “restoring accountability.” His campaign rhetoric was moderate. He won by knocking doors and leveraging positive relations he built during six years as principal of Hamilton Mountain’s St. Jean de Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School. He was also principal at Cathedral High School for eight years.
In Ward 13, Rick Kunc campaigned on affordability and accountability. Kunc won Ward 13 with an overwhelming 60.7 per cent of the vote in a four-person race.
Particularly noteworthy is that Kunc focused on city-wide vision during his campaign. As a candidate running to represent Dundas, he chose to make Downtown Hamilton revitalization a focus for his campaign. He even filmed a campaign video on King William Street. This indicates a desire to work collaboratively to advance city-wide interests.
Both Daly and Kunc are retired educators who were principals, a background shared with Tadeson.
In Ward 15, Colleen Stewart focused her platform on taxes. She turned the City of Hamilton’s annual budget theatrics against the incumbent councillor by citing the City’s own initial 16 per cent 2027 tax increase projection, and placing it on lawn signs.
Incumbent McMeekin’s campaign felt the 16 per cent tax increase signs were misleading, and arguably they were. The underlying problem is the City’s annual budget theatrics, which began with the misleading 16 per cent figure. During her interview on The 155 podcast, Stewart said the City needs to be more honest in its communications – budget projections are a good place to start.
The Centrist Liberal (1)
Ward 8’s Dawn Danko is a traditional centrist Liberal. She served as the Ward 7 public school board trustee for the past 12 years, and was the Liberal candidate for Hamilton Mountain in the 2025 provincial election. (Danko’s neighbourhood moved from Ward 7 to Ward 8 during the 2018 ward boundary realignment.)
The Mayor’s Sole Council Endorser (1)
Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson was the only sitting member of Council to endorse Loomis’ campaign. During her two terms on Council thus far, Wilson’s votes have sometimes been to the left of centre, but mostly in the centre.
Wilson described herself as a Red Tory during a 2022 council debate.
Wilson is entering her final term on Council, having stated in September 2024 that she would limit herself to three terms on City Council. I expect Wilson to focus on social determinants of health, addressing infrastructure deficits, and creating safe transportation corridors during the upcoming term.
The Progressive-Left (2)
Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch and Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann were both comfortably re-elected in their respective wards.
Kroetsch and Nann are progressive-left New Democrats.
While there is no natural political alignment between these councillors and Loomis, both they and the mayor have reasons to work together on areas of mutual interest and agreement.
Loomis: If You Can’t Get Nine Votes, Don’t Put It on the Table
During his interview on The 155 election podcast, Loomis talked about the need to secure council support for his goals.
“I will work really hard to maintain beneficial, good-faith relationships with all of them, because we have so many hard issues to work through,” Loomis stated. “I know we’re not going to get unanimity on everything. I don’t expect that.”
“I believe I can get to nine votes with this group of councillors on most everything,” Loomis stated. “And if you can’t, you don’t put the motion on the table. So much of the work has to be done beforehand.”
That work is already underway. The incoming City Council held two days of orientation on Monday and Tuesday (November 9 and 10). They will begin moving into their offices on Sunday, November 15, and their inaugural meeting is Wednesday November 18.
Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: November 12, 2026
Last updated: November 12, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
Discussion
0 commentsNo comments yet. Be the first to add your perspective.