On Sept. 25, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath posted a statement on social media that she would be “stepping down” from the Police Services Board “as a result of scheduling conflicts.”
Her statement continued, “With strong Council and community voices in place, this is the right time for another member of council to give the role the focus it deserves, especially as the Board begins its important planning work.”
The resignation came ahead of 2026 budget discussions, which have sometimes been contentious due to “defund the police” activists.
Police services are among a municipal government’s biggest responsibilities.
Police and 911 Services are the City of Hamilton’s single largest budget line item, making up 16.5 per cent of the municipal budget.
The next largest expenditures were on infrastructure (13.6 per cent), education (11 per cent), fire services (8.3 per cent), and transit (7.8 per cent).
Horwath received widespread criticism for her decision to step down, particularly from Councillor Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 – Downtown Hamilton), who also serves on the Hamilton Police Services Board.
Kroetsch posted on the social media site Bluesky, “Apart from the fact the mayor doesn’t have a good attendance record at the Board, I don’t get it. She sits on the fewest number of committees of any Council member. Scheduling conflicts are within her control.”
“Many Councillors, myself included, sit on dozens of committees and boards. The Mayor sits on a handful, relatively speaking,” he continued.
“I think it’s important to talk about what Mayors do. As far as I can tell, the focus is on formalities, closed-door meetings, ribbon cuttings, photo ops, and banquet dinners. It should be more about committee and board work. That’s where the decisions get made. That’s where the work gets done,” Kroetsch concluded.
The Hamilton Police Service Board is made up of seven members.
Three are provincial appointees (currently Chair Don Robertson and Members Shaun Padulo and Robin St. Jean), three are representatives of Council (Councillor Esther Pauls, Kroetsch, and formerly Horwath), and one is a citizen appointed by Council (physician and activist Dr. Anjali Menezes).
One of the three Council appointee spots is always reserved for the Mayor, unless they resign from the Board.
Horwath’s resignation was accepted at the Oct. 8 Hamilton City Council meeting, where Council members also had to choose who would replace her on the Board.
Only Councillors Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek) and Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain) put their names forward to serve on the Board.
In a short speech to Council, Clark said that if he were chosen, he “would have no difficulty speaking truth to power.”
“I am a critical thinker. I am fiscally minded. I am respectful, civil, and pragmatic.”
Meanwhile, Spadafora said, “I am a supporter of the police. I think the police are important because they keep our community safe, keep our residents safe. But in saying that, I think everyone here and in the public has seen my commitment to, my questions around a budget.”
However, when it came to voting, both Clark and Spadafora received 8 votes each.
As per procedural rules, the vote was held a second time, but none of the Councillors changed their vote.
In the end, in accordance with procedures, a name was randomly drawn from a hat, and Spadafora was chosen.
VOTING RESULTS
In favour of Clark joining the Police Board (8): Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 – Downtown Hamilton), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3 – East Hamilton Centre), Tammy Hwang (Ward 4 – Hamilton East), Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek), Craig Cassar (Ward 12 – Ancaster-West Flamborough), Alex Wilson (Ward 13 – Dundas-Central Flamborough), Ted McMeekin (Ward 15 – East Flamborough-Waterdown), Mayor Andrea Horwath.
In favour of Spadafora joining the Police Board (8): Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale), Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), Tom Jackson (Ward 6 – East Mountain), Esther Pauls (Ward 7 – Central Mountain), Rob Cooper (Ward 8 – West/Central Mountain), Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona), Mark Tadeson (Ward 11 – Glanbrook-Binbrook-Mount Hope), Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain).
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.
