Hamilton’s municipal election will be held on Oct. 26, 2026, and seven candidates are registered to run for Ward 8 City Councillor (West/Central Mountain): Nenos Damerchie, Dawn Danko, Jonathan Morris, Pat Piro, Adlan Taramov, Jacob Tenbrinke, and Terry Whitehead.
John-Paul Danko was elected to the ward in the 2022 municipal election but left in 2025 after becoming the Liberal Member of Parliament for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas.
Rob Cooper was elected in a by-election in 2025 in a 26-candidate race. He is now running for mayor, so this 2026 Council ward race is without an incumbent.
NENOS DAMERCHIE
Campaign Email: drnenos@treeoflifechiro.ca
Campaign Website: www.damerchie.com
Nenos Damerchie is a chiropractor who founded Tree of Life Chiropractic on Upper James Street. He is also a husband and father.
He served as the Canadian Director of the Assyrian Medical Society, a nonprofit committed to aiding children and families affected by war and famine in the Middle East.
His priorities are safe neighbourhoods, getting Hamilton moving, responsible taxes and city spending, housing and cutting red tape, supporting Ward 8 businesses, infrastructure, and thoughtful growth.
DAWN DANKO
Campaign Email: campaign@dawndanko.ca
Campaign Website: www.dawndanko.ca
Dawn Danko is currently a Professor and Curriculum and Program Quality Consultant at Mohawk College.
She has served as the public-school board trustee for Ward 7 since 2014 and was previously Chair of the Board.
She is the wife of Liberal Member of Parliament John-Paul Danko, who previously represented the ward as Councillor.
She was formerly a Radiation Therapist at Juravinski Cancer Centre from 2003 to 2011.
Dawn Danko also ran for the Ontario Liberal Party in the 2025 provincial election in Hamilton Mountain, placing second to Ontario PC Party candidate Monica Ciriello.
Her website says her priorities are safe and vibrant communities, affordable taxes and housing, repairing roads, traffic and transit, and accountability.
JONATHAN MORRIS
Campaign Email: Jonathan.L.E.Morris@gmail.com
Campaign Website: Not Available at Publish Date
Jonathan Morris is Operations Manager at Concentrix, a Fortune 500 technology and services company.
He is also the Music Director and Organist at Apostolic Ark Ministries.
His Facebook says his priorities are stronger neighbourhoods, smarter solutions, and a better Hamilton.
PAT PIRO
Campaign Email: patppiro@gmail.com
Campaign Website: Not Available at Publish Date
Pat Piro’s Facebook profile says he is running to improve infrastructure, control spending, and govern with common sense politics.
ADLAN TARAMOV
Campaign Email: adlan.taramov.ward8@gmail.com
Campaign Website: Not Available at Publish Date
Adlan Taramov has been a Hamilton resident since 2015 and is an immigration consultant with Starboard Immigration Services Inc.
He used to work as a casework manager for a Member of Parliament, with government records indicating the job was with Liberal MP Arif Virani.
He has a Master’s in International Relations from the Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.
JACOB TENBRINKE
Campaign Email: jacob@jacob4ward8.com
Campaign Website: www.jacob4ward8.com
Jacob ten Brinke is the Founder and President of the political consulting firm ten Brinke Consulting, works for Conservative Member of Parliament Dan Muys (Flamborough–Glanbrook–Brant North), and serves as the President of the Hamilton Mountain Conservative Association.
He has had a 14+ year military career with the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves, serving with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree from McMaster University and also has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland).
He used to work for Member of Parliament David Sweet.
His website says that property tax increases should be tied to the rate of inflation and lists his priorities as safer streets, housing that works, supporting local businesses, and listening to residents.
TERRY WHITEHEAD
Campaign Email: info@electterry.ca
Campaign Website: www.electterry.ca
Terry Whitehead is a former City Councillor who represented Ward 8 from 2003-2018.
When the city’s ward boundaries were redrawn, and Ward 8 (West/Central Mountain) was split into Ward 14 (West Mountain), Whitehead ran and won in Ward 14 in 2018.
He opted not to run in the 2022 municipal election and Mike Spadafora was elected in Ward 14.
He ran in the September 2025 Ward 8 by-election, placing second to Rob Cooper with 1,042 votes (17.9 per cent), compared to Cooper’s 1,129 votes (19.3 per cent).
Whitehead was just 87 votes behind Cooper.
Whitehead is the former Chief of Staff to Ontario Solicitor General and NDP Member of Parliament David Christopherson, former Chief of Staff to Hamilton Mayor Bob Morrow, and was a Senior Advisor to former Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Party Member of Parliament Sheila Copps.
ELECTORAL HISTORY
2010 Election: Terry Whitehead won with 67.37 per cent of the vote (9,908 votes), with Kim Jenkinson in second.
2014 Election: Terry Whitehead won with 76.54 per cent of the vote (9,364 votes), with Joshua Czerniga in second.
2018 Election: After part of the ward was split to make up Ward 14 (West Mountain) and Terry Whitehead opted to run there instead, John-Paul Danko was elected with 41.67 per cent of the vote (3,752 votes), with Eve Adams in second with 23.29 per cent (2,097).
2022 Election: John-Paul Danko won with 62.18 per cent of the vote (5,274 votes), with Sonia Brown in second with 22.82 per cent (1,936).
2025 By-election: After John-Paul Danko was elected as Member of Parliament for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas, Rob Cooper won a 26-candidate by-election with 19.35 per cent of the vote (1,129 votes), with Terry Whitehead second with 17.86 per cent (1,042 votes).
WARD DESCRIPTION
As of the 2021 census, the ward had 36,130 residents.
Ward 8 is the West/Central Mountain and includes neighbourhoods such as Southam, Mohawk, Centremount, Buchanan, Bonnington, Balfour, Rolston, Yeoville, Greeningdon, Gourley, Kernighan, Jerome, Sheldon, Mewburn, Ryckmans, Kennedy West, Kennedy East, and Allison.
It is bordered by the Escarpment to the north, the hydro corridor south of Rymal Road to the south, Garth Street to the west, and Upper Wellington Street to the east.
Ward 8 is home to Mohawk College and St. Joseph’s West 5th Campus.
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.
