Hamilton’s municipal election will be held on Oct. 26, 2026, and four candidates are registered to run for Ward 13 City Councillor (Dundas–Central Flamborough): Gary Aikema, Rick Kunc, Loren Lieberman, and Spencer Naylor.
Councillor Alex Wilson announced on May 1 that he would not be seeking re-election after serving as a councillor for only one term.
GARY AIKEMA
Campaign Email: aikemgary@gmail.com
Campaign Website: www.garyaikema.com
Gary Aikema’s website says that he was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to Canada in 1952, growing up in Burlington.
He graduated from Mohawk College’s Industrial Management program in 1972 and started his own construction company.
He is a retired builder who founded Allandale Homes.
He moved to Waterdown in 1981, to a hobby farm in Carlisle in 1986, to Safari Road in 1996, and then to Westover in 2001.
He has six children and 16 grandchildren and says he is running to “fix the basics, spend taxpayers’ money more wisely and make sure our rural communities have a strong voice at City Hall.”
RICK KUNC
Campaign Email: rickkunc2026@gmail.com
Campaign Website: www.rickkunc.ca
Rick Kunc’s LinkedIn profile says that he is a retiree with a 30-year career in education.
It adds that he was a Principal with Hamilton’s public school board from 2006-2016, was Senior School Principal at Hillfield Strathallan College from 2016-2020, Director of Academics at The Hill Academy from 2020-2021, and Assistant Head of School at Kingsway College School from 2021 to 2025.
He also served in instructor roles at both Brock University and York University.
He is endorsed by Stan Nowak (a Dundas historian), Don Davidson (President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa Foundation and President of the Rotary Club of Dundas), and Ted McMeekin (former Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament and current Ward 15 Councillor).
He lists his priorities as leadership, affordability and infrastructure, community and engagement, housing, and trust and transparency.
LOREN LIEBERMAN
Campaign Email: loren@lorenlieberman.ca
Campaign Website: www.lorenlieberman.ca
Loren Lieberman’s website says that he has built a career in the arts as a producer, director, and playwright.
He served as Artistic Director of the Tivoli Theatre and spent over 15 years leading the Festival of Friends as Executive Director.
He has also worked for The Dreamcatcher Foundation and served as a newspaper and magazine columnist, radio commentator, and television co-host on Cable 14.
He was born and raised in Dundas and lives with his wife of 20+ years and son.
He is endorsed by Ron Corsini (former Hamilton City Councillor), Larry DiIanni (former Hamilton Mayor), Lloyd Ferguson (former Ancaster City Councillor), Mike Spadafora (Councillor for Ward 14 – West Mountain), and David Sweet (former Member of Parliament for Flamborough–Glanbrook with the Conservative Party of Canada).
Lieberman pledges that if he is elected he would not be in favour of any “increase in taxes beyond the provincial rate of inflation” and would not vote in favour of creating “any new jobs at City Hall.”
SPENCER NAYLOR
Campaign Email: naylorsj9@outlook.com
Campaign Website: www.snaylorward13.ca
Spencer Naylor has a PhD in Comparative Public Policy from McMaster University and is a Senior Policy Advisor with Ontario’s Ministry of Health.
His website says that he pledges “to vote against all AI data centre development in the Greater Hamilton Area until robust environmental regulations can be introduced” and also that he would “vote against any proposed developments that would contribute to unacceptable expansion of urban sprawl or negatively impact the local character and history” of the community.
ELECTORAL HISTORY
2010 Election: Incumbent Russ Powers won with 58.92 per cent of the vote (4,884 votes), with Danya Scime second with 21.25 per cent (1,761 votes).
2014 Election: Incumbent Russ Powers opted to retire and Arlene Vanderbeek won with 42.56 per cent of the vote (3,468 votes), with Toby Yull second with 24.40 per cent (1,988 votes).
2018 Election: Incumbent Arlene Vanderbeek won with 34.49 per cent of the vote (3,953 votes), with Rich Gelder second with 26.93 per cent (3,087 votes).
2022 Election: Alex Wilson won with 57.94 per cent of the vote (7,038 votes), with Arlene VanderBeek second with 42.06 per cent (5,110 votes).
WARD DESCRIPTION
As of the 2021 census, the ward had 35,185 residents.
Ward 13 is Dundas–Central Flamborough and includes areas such as Valens, Freelton, Kirkwall, Strabane, Westover, Greensville and Hayesland.
The ward’s northern border includes Hamiton city limits along Gore Road.
The southern border is Highway 8 and the Dundas border.
The western border is the Hamilton city limits and Highway 8 and the eastern border is Highway 6 and Millgrove Sideroad.
Ward 13 is home to African Lion Safari, Westfield Heritage Village, a large section of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Cootes Paradise, Valens Conservation Area, and Christie Lake Conservation Area.
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.
