Hamilton City Council recently voted 13 to 1 in favour of calling a by-election in Ward 8 (West/Central Mountain) to fill the seat vacated by John-Paul Danko.
Danko sought the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas and was elected to be a Member of Parliament earlier this year.
City staff told Council that the vacancy could be filled either through appointment or through a by-election.
Council heard that an appointment would result in the seat being filled sooner, as that process would come to a conclusion on July 23, 2025, if it were approved.
Meanwhile, staff said a by-election would mean a voting day of September 22, 2025.
The next municipal election is October 26, 2026, so voters in the ward will already be automatically sent to the polls next year.
From a financial standpoint, the appointment process would have cost approximately $10,000, while a by-election was estimated at $200,000.
By-election costs were broken down further, with $75,000 allocated for tabulators, consumables, hardware, software, and ePoll books and $30,000 allocated for online voter registration and online voting system and support pending further Council approval.
Another $80,000 was estimated for polling location and staffing costs for three days of polling at three polls, including wages, rental fees, and supplies.
Finally, another $10,000 was allocated for advertising the vacancy and $5,000 for miscellaneous costs such as mileage, shredding, and security.
While, Council ultimately decided in favour of calling a by-election, there was some debate.
Councillor Mark Tadeson (Ward 11 – Glanbrook-Binbrook-Mount Hope), who was the lone Councillor who voted in favour of an appointment process, noted the costs associated with a by-election and the fact that the process would take longer were reasons why he was against the move.
“I’m not against democracy, I just don’t see the need for an election at this time, for such a short period of service. For me, it’s a distraction for the clerks and the Council, and there’s lots of work that needs to be done, and the sooner someone can officially support the ward, from my perspective, that is better,” said Tadeson.
“We’ve already had issues come forward that needed a councillor from the ward to speak about,” he added.
Councillor Esther Pauls (Ward 7 – Central Mountain) also noted financial factors and said that she could “go either way” on the vote, but ultimately decided in favour of a by-election.
Meanwhile, other councillors said that voters should get to choose their representative.
With the approval of a by-election, nominations were opened on June 19 and will close on August 8 at 2 PM.
Advanced voting will take place on September 20 and 21, with Election Day set for Monday, September 22.
Council will vote later in July on whether or not to allow online voting for the by-election.
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.
