4 former councillors, an environmentalist and delivery driver among candidates for Hamilton's Ward 5 seat
Four former councillors, a former taxi driver, an environmentalist, a law clerk, and a property manager have applied to become the next Ward 5 councillor.
Councillors will be considering who will replace Chad Collins in Ward 5 from 21 candidates during a special general issues committee meeting Nov. 12. Collins was recently elected the Liberal MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek. The applicants will be providing a five-minute pitch each to councillors.
Among the candidates is former Hamilton mayor and councillor Larry Di Ianni, who is now a registered lobbyist. Di Ianni served as the city's mayor from 2003 to 2006.
Also applying for the job is former Dundas Coun. Russ Powers, who last served the Valley Town on the amalgamated Hamilton city council from 2006 to 2014, when he retired. He was also a former Liberal MP from 2004 to 2006. He had previously been a Dundas councillor from 1982 to 2000.
Another past councillor seeking a return to politics is former Hamilton alderman Don Ross, who served for 12 years from 1985 to 1997, representing the west Mountain on the former Hamilton council. Ross, who lives in Ancaster, was also a member of the transition board during the transition from the former region and municipalities into one Hamilton municipality. He is now a member of the board of directors for Thrive Group, which operates St. Peter's Residence, Idlewyld Manor, and AbleLiving and Capability Support Services.
Also applying is a former alderman for the City of Brantford who served in the 1980s, Steve Bosanac, of Binbrook, who is now a property manager for Effort Trust.
Juanita Maldonado, who operates her own business, Maldonado Immigration Services, and who ran against Collins in the 2018 municipal election, has applied for the position. Maldonado was also the constituent assistance to former Hamilton East-Stoney Creek NDP MP Wayne Marston from 2006 to 2015.
Also seeking the office is Jim Howlett, a well-known environmental activist, who has served on the Hamilton Conservation Authority board, was head of the Hamilton Beach Community Council and was appointed in 2018 as the city's representative on the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority, replacing Sandy Shaw.
Stoney Creek resident Kathyrn Wakeman is also pitching to be the next Ward 5 councillor. Wakeman is a member of the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce, has served on the Hamilton Heritage Committee, and has volunteered with the Stoney Creek Historical Society and Stoney Creek Santa Claus Parade Committee.
Vivian Saunders, a Stoney Creek resident, who has been a member of the Lakewood Beach Community Council, is looking to join the same councillors that she has sought to hold accountable for their election spending. She has fought on behalf of her community for better planning policies, as well as filing to court to conduct audits on various councillors' campaign election expenses.
Other candidates for the job include Olivia Divinski, a senior law clerk, Stan Habza, a salesperson, Pascal Marchand, chair, and employment representative for Air Canada CUPE Local 4092, Mike McDonald, director of operations at the congregations of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Dundas, and Victor Mejia, a former taxi and truck driver, who is now the delivery driver for the Poultry Hut in Dundas.
A councillor's salary is $97,357 annually.
The new Ward 5 councillor, which includes an area from Greenhill Avenue to Beach Boulevard, and from the Red Hill Valley to Gray Road, will serve until November 2022.
Council is scheduled to discuss the Ward 5 replacement in camera, with a motion to be introduced at the Nov. 12 meeting to select a replacement.