Hamilton’s municipal election will be held on Oct. 26, 2026, and five candidates are registered to run for Ward 9 City Councillor (Upper Stoney Creek): Brad Clark, Abhijeet Gill, Brad Stapleton, Jonathan Stathakos, and Eileen Walker.
BRAD CLARK (INCUMBENT)
Campaign Email: info@bradclarkforward9.ca
Campaign Website: www.bradclarkforward9.ca
Brad Clark previously owned and operated his own public affairs firm.
In the 1999 provincial election he ran as the Ontario PC Party candidate in Stoney Creek under leader Mike Harris.
He was later named Minister of Transportation. Ernie Eves then succeeded Mike Harris as Premier and Clark was named Minister of Labour.
Clark was defeated in the 2003 provincial election by Ontario Liberal candidate Jennifer Mossop.
In 2006, Clark sought a seat on Hamilton City Council and won Ward 9. He was re-elected in 2010.
While he was still a councillor, he ran in the 2011 federal election for the Conservative Party of Canada in Hamilton East–Stoney Creek but was defeated by NDP incumbent Wayne Marston.
In the 2014 municipal election, Clark ran for mayor and placed second to Fred Eisenberger. Clark finished with 31.53 per cent of the vote (38,706 votes) compared to Eisenberger’s 39.93 per cent (49,020 votes).
Clark ran for city councillor in Ward 9 in both 2018 and 2022, winning each time.
He has also been married for 43 years and has three children and eight grandchildren.
During this term of Council, Clark voted in favour of police budget increases, ending the city poet program in order to save money amid a 5.6 per cent property tax increase, and the plan for 40 tiny homes on Barton-Tiffany lands
He voted against a 5.85 per cent property tax increase in 2023, a 5.79 property tax increase in 2024, the Encampment Protocol, the Vacant Unit Tax, the stormwater fee rain tax program, and putting a one year pause on AI data centre applications.
More details on his voting record can be viewed on a new website called www.hamiltoncouncilwatch.ca.
ABHIJEET GILL
Campaign Email: ward9gill@gmail.com
Campaign Website: www.ward9gill.ca
Abhijeet Gill is a realtor with REMAX President Realty Brokerage based in Brampton.
His website says he was born in Stoney Creek and has lived in Ward 9 for over a decade.
His LinkedIn profile states that he graduated from Orchard Park Secondary School in Stoney Creek in 2017 and McMaster University in 2022, with a Bachelor of Commerce.
BRAD STAPLETON
Campaign Email: stapletonward9@gmail.com
Campaign Website: www.stapletonward9.ca
Brad Stapleton has served in law enforcement for 26 years.
He states that his priorities are safer streets and affordable living.
He says he would seek to increase the number of police officers on patrol, work to severely limit or shut down the GFL Dump, keep property taxes at inflation, scrap the rain tax and Vacant Unit Tax, and enforce a city-wide hiring freeze.
JONATHAN STATHAKOS
Campaign Email: info@votejonathan.ca
Campaign Website: www.votejonathan.ca
Jonathan Stathakos is a Government Relations Advisor in the post-secondary education sector and a small business owner in the retail industry.
His website says he was born and raised in Upper Stoney Creek and attended Saltfleet District High School before earning his Bachelor’s Degree from McMaster University and a Master’s Degree from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).
He is also the former Chief of Staff to Hamilton East–Stoney Creek Member of Parliament Ned Kuruc.
He lists his priorities as lower taxes, safer streets, reliable roads, and fixing issues with the GFL Landfill.
He also says that he will push the province to expand the LINC and the Red Hill Valley Parkway to three lanes.
EILEEN WALKER
Campaign Email: eejwalker@gmail.com
Campaign Website: www.voteeileenwalker.com
Eileen Walker is a retired Justice of the Peace, who was also on the Board of the Ontario College of Teachers and served as a social worker for 21 years.
She is also an author of several children’s books and a small business owner.
Walker ran in the 2025 provincial election in Hamilton Centre for the Ontario Liberal Party under leader Bonnie Crombie.
Her website states, “Our ward needs a representative who respects the boundaries of law, treats public funds with absolute accountability, acts with integrity and treats every resident with equity.”
ELECTORAL HISTORY
2010 Election: Brad Clark won with 45.33 per cent of the vote (3,454 votes) with Nancy Fiorentino in second with 30.75 per cent (2,343 votes)
2014 Election: Doug Conley won with 26.17 per cent of the vote (1,750 votes) with Nancy Fiorentino in second with 20.66 per cent (1,381 votes) after Brad Clark decided to run for mayor.
2018 Election: Brad Clark won with 38.73 per cent of the vote (2,539 votes) with Doug Conley in second with 29.91 per cent (1,961 votes).
2022 Election: Brad Clark won with 51.56 per cent, with Peter Lanza in second.
WARD DESCRIPTION
As of the 2021 census, the ward had 36,485 residents.
Ward 9 is Upper Stoney Creek and includes neighbourhoods such as Leckie Park and Elfrida.
It is bordered by the Escarpment to the north, the hydro corridor south of Rymal Road and South Townline Road to the south, the Upper Red Hill Parkway to the west, and the Hamilton/Niagara Region border to the east.
Ward 9 is home to Heritage Green Sports Park, Eramosa Karst Conservation Area, Valley Park Recreation Centre, and the GFL Landfill.
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.
