Fred Eisenberger has been elected to a second consecutive term as Hamilton’s mayor, staving off a challenge from LRT opponent Vito Sgro.
According to unofficial results, Eisenberger received 54 per cent of the votes cast compared to 38 per cent for Sgro.
Eisenberger, who won by nearly 22,000 votes, said he sees the result as a “wonderful” mandate to keep moving on his agenda, which includes the city’s upcoming 14-kilometre LRT project.
“For those that wanted to make this a referendum on a train, this is a referendum. We’re moving forward on a train,” he said.
LISTEN: Fred Eisenberger on being elected to another term as Hamilton’s mayor
Eisenberger focused on his record during the final weekend of the campaign, pointing to $1 billion worth of building permits issued by the city in six of the last seven years and a Conference Board of Canada study that found Hamilton’s economy to be the most diversified in Canada.
Sgro, his main mayoral challenger, pledged to fix the city’s infrastructure while stopping what he calls the “wasteful” LRT project.
One poll conducted last week suggested the pair were neck and neck.
Five new faces are joining Hamilton council. Maureen Wilson was elected in Ward 1. Nrinder Nann replaces Matthew Green, who did not seek re-election, in Ward 3. In Ward 7, the former ward of MPP Donna Skelly, Esther Pauls has been elected.
In Ward 8, which had no incumbent, John-Paul Danko won over high-profile candidate and former MP Eve Adams.
Brad Clark in Ward 9 was the only candidate to defeat an incumbent, Doug Conley.
Coun. Terry Whitehead made a successful switch from Ward 8 to Ward 14, and in Ward 15, Judi Partridge narrowly defeated Susan McKechnie.
The city says voter turnout was 38.4 per cent, an increase of 4.4 per cent from 2014.
In Burlington, former Ward 2 councillor Marianne Meed Ward has defeated two-term mayor Rick Goldring to become the city’s new mayor, taking 46 per cent of the vote.
Hamilton election unofficial results
Mayor – Fred Eisenberger
Ward 1 – Maureen Wilson
Ward 2 – Jason Farr (incumbent)
Ward 3 – Nrinder Nann
Ward 4 – Sam Merulla (incumbent)
Ward 5 – Chad Collins (incumbent)
Ward 6 – Tom Jackson (incumbent)
Ward 7 – Esther Pauls
Ward 8 – John-Paul DankoWard 9 – Brad Clark
Ward 10 – Maria Pearson (incumbent)
Ward 11 – Brenda Johnson (incumbent)
Ward 12 – Lloyd Ferguson (incumbent)
Ward 13 – Arlene VanderBeek (incumbent)
Ward 14 – Terry Whitehead
Ward 15 – Judi Partridge (incumbent)
With files from Ken Mann
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