A total of 26 candidates have registered for the City of Hamilton’s Ward 8 councillor by-election (West/Central Mountain) to replace John-Paul Danko, who was recently elected Member of Parliament for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas for the Liberal Party.
The candidates, in alphabetical order by last name, are Ralph Agostino, Waleed Ali, Alex Ballagh, Caleb Bosveld, Philip Bradshaw, Sonia Brown, Rob Cooper, Joshua Czerniga, Glenn Davies, Scott Duvall, Andrew Fedurko, Anthony Frisina, Kevin Gonci, Read Hansen, Asuf Khokhar, Frank Lenarduzzi, Michael Loomans, Michael Marson, Dale Murphy, Marlon Picken, Lohifa Pogoson Acker, Ray Polawski, Sebastian Popovici, Barry Quinn, Terry Whitehead, and Colleen Wicken.
The city allows anyone with a Hamilton address who completes the nomination papers to run in the by-election – candidates do not have to live in the ward.
Ralph Agostino is a former Hamilton Catholic school board trustee who is a real estate agent with Keller Williams Complete Realty.
Waleed Ali describes himself as a “24-year-old Canadian-born entrepreneur, real estate developer, and proud father and husband.”
Alex Ballagh is a community organizer who has been involved in Hamilton ACORN fighting for tenants’ rights, the National Overdose Response Service, and Hamilton Health Coalition.
Caleb Bosveld is a student at Redeemer University with a platform focused on fiscal responsibility, homelessness, crime, and safety.
Philip Bradshaw runs a Facebook page called “Concession Street & The Hammer News” and lives in Ward 8.
Sonia Brown runs a residential care facility in Ward 8 and ran in the 2022 election, coming in second with 1,936 votes (22.82 per cent).
Rob Cooper is a Hamilton Mountain Progressive Conservative Party riding association executive and was campaign manager for Brown’s 2022 campaign.
Joshua Czerniga previously ran for the Green Party of Ontario and is reportedly an “educator and LGBTQ advocate.” He ran in 2022 and came fourth with 413 votes (4.87 per cent).
Glenn Davies is a retired systems analyst who moved from Calgary to Hamilton in 2021.
Scott Duvall is the former City Councillor for Ward 7 (Central Mountain), a former NDP Member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain, and came in second in the 2022 municipal election, losing to Esther Pauls with 49.09 per cent of the vote.
Andrew Fedurko is a professor at Mohawk College who holds a Doctor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration and previously served as a political data analyst with the Conservative Party of Canada.
Anthony Frisina is an advocate for persons with disabilities and ran in the 2022 election, placing third with 7.47 per cent of the vote after Danko and Brown.
Kevin Gonci served 27 years in the Canadian Forces Army Reserve and is Chairman of the Mohawk Sports Park Council.
Asuf Khokhar is a Hamilton Police Services officer and Canadian Armed Forces veteran focused on a “stronger, safer community.”
Dale Murphy has reportedly worked 35 years with a variety of companies including General Electric.
Marlon Picken is an “equity activist,” according to his LinkedIn profile.
Lohifa Pogoson Acker is a community activist and hair artist.
Barry Quinn is the brother of Patt Quinn and a former Burlington and Halton Regional Councillor, Justice of the Peace, and President of the Ontario Police Services Board.
Terry Whitehead is a former Hamilton Mountain City Councillor who served from 2006-2022 when he opted not to run again. He was docked pay twice over allegations of bullying.
Colleen Wicken is a former staffer of Whitehead and later filed a human rights complaint against him. She ran in Ward 7 in 2022 and placed sixth out of seven candidates.
There is no readily available information on Read Hansen, Frank Lenarduzzi, Michael Loomans, Michael Marson, Ray Polawski, or Sebastian Popovici.
Advanced voting will take place on Sept. 20 and 21, with Election Day set for Monday, Sept. 22.
The incoming Councillor will only serve approximately one year as the next municipal election is already set for October 2026.
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.
