Maria Pearson, Jason Farr, and Arlene VanderBeek, all multi-term councillors, will not be returning to Hamilton City Hall next month after failing to regain their respective council seats Monday night. Photo credit: Twitter/City of Hamilton
Hamilton’s municipal election on Monday was full of drama. Even prior to October 24, it was clear the election would be interesting due to the absence of an incumbent in seven races (the mayoral race, as well as the Ward 4, Ward 5, Ward 11, Ward 12, Ward 14, and Ward 15 councillor races).
Hamilton City Council is made up of fifteen councillors and one mayor. With seven “new faces” already guaranteed due to the lack of an incumbent, the election was always going to be one of change.
But, as election night slowly unravelled, it became clear that the number of incumbents leaving Council would be larger than just seven as three long-time elected officials were voted out.
As a result, the total political turnover from the 2018 election to the 2022 election extends to ten out of 16 positions.
Maria Pearson in Ward 10
Maria Pearson has held a position as an elected official since 1993 when she was a councillor for Stoney Creek. Post-amalgamation she was elected as a Hamilton city councillor in 2003 for Ward 10, a ward which includes parts of Lower Stoney Creek, as well as Fruitland and Winona. But on Monday, Pearson was not only voted out, but relegated to last place amongst the three candidates running.
Former HWDSB trustee and small business owner Jeff Beattie was elected with 39.69 per cent of the vote (4,236 votes), while Pearson received 28.11 per cent (3,000 votes). Second place was Louie Milojevic with 32.20 per cent (3,436 votes).
Ward 10 voters indicated their concerns with overdevelopment in the area, particularly along the lakefront where several large residential buildings have been proposed. Pearson became gradually seen by many as someone who would not listen to their concerns about the changing nature of their neighbourhoods.
As an area that has already changed and developed substantially over the past few years, it seems that Pearson’s status as a long-time incumbent was also less and less a factor come election time, with her vote share dropping each election since 2006.
Those sentiments regarding Pearson, paired with Beattie’s lengthy resume of community involvement and strong campaign (which built on his previous 2018 run), translated to his electoral success and Pearson’s oust from the Hamilton political scene.
Jason Farr in Ward 2
A similar story played out in Hamilton’s Ward 2, which runs east to west from Wellington Street to Queen Street, encompassing much of Hamilton’s Downtown. Jason Farr, first elected in 2010, was ousted from his Council seat by small business owner and community activist Cameron Kroetsch.
While Farr strongly touted his support for the police and opposition to encampments in public parks, the message appears not to have resonated with Ward 2 voters. Other factors that likely played a role in Farr’s defeat were his decision to temporarily leave his Council seat in June 2022 to run for the Ontario Liberal Party on the other side of the city in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek and the fact that his residence is in Ward 3.
Farr lost the June provincial election and lost this one as well. It should not be understated that strong campaigning from his competitor – and eventual winner – Kroetsch played a large role as well. Kroetsch’s electoral victory was all the more impressive in that he received 49.25 per cent of the vote (3,619 votes). Farr came in second with 32.83 per cent of the vote (2,412 votes).
Similar to Beattie, Kroetsch also ran in the 2018 election, surely using the momentum and knowledge gained from his previous run to help catapult him into the Ward 2 Council seat.
Arlene VanderBeek in Ward 13
Yet another dramatic election night story played out in Ward 13 (Dundas and Flamborough) where Alex Wilson, a political staffer for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas NDP MPP Sandy Shaw, beat out incumbent Arlene VanderBeek, who had held the position since 2014.
Wilson’s political experience, connections, hard work campaigning, favourable performance in the Cable 14 debate, and youthful exuberance all contributed to the victory despite it being Wilson’s first time running. Wilson is 25 years old.
VanderBeek received a vote share of 42.06 per cent (5,110 votes), compared to Wilson’s 57.94 per cent (7,038). And with that result, a third incumbent councillor was voted out.
Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Geenen reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on social media. He is a regular contributor with The Hamilton Independent and has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. He is known for Hamilton Neighbourhood Watch crime updates and no-nonsense news graphics. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa and eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal from Governor General David Johnston. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. He currently works as a journalistic writer and office administrator.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
