1994 Hamilton, Ontario, municipal election

The 1994 Hamilton municipal election was held on November 14, 1994,Poling, Jim. "Five in race for top job; If Bob Morrow is successful, he'll become the longest serving mayor in the city's 148-year history," The Hamilton Spectator, October 19, 1994, Metro Section, B3 to elect municipal officials for the City of Hamilton. Hamiltonions selected one mayor, one regional chairman, and sixteen alderman to the Hamilton City Council (two from each ward), as well as members of both English and French public and Catholic school boards. Voters in the municipality also had the opportunity to cast a ballot for the regional chairman of the Hamilton-Wentworth region.

Regional chairman election

Candidates

Terry Cooke, 35, ran his campaign on the central issues that were raised by voters in time for the election, namely reforming government, improving policing, and redeveloping the downtown core.Poling, Jim. "Policing, reform are top priorities, Cooke vows; 'There's a lot of work ahead,' jubilant victor tells supporters." Hamilton Spectator, November 15, 1994, News, A1. Bill Sears was formerly the mayor of Stoney Creek and served as the regional chairman prior to seeking the spot in a political comeback. Janice Wilson was a high-school teacher who ran a campaign that sought to curb hunting in the area and wanted to slow development to preserve the region's natural spaces.

Campaign

Following the retirement of Reg Whynott, three candidates entered the race to succeed him. Sitting Hamilton Alderman Terry Cooke faced off against former Stoney Creek mayor and regional chairman Bill Sears, and high school teacher Janice Wilson.

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="6" |Note: All Hamilton municipal elections are officially non-partisan. Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates.

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="13" |Sources: Poling, Jim. "Policing, reform are top priorities, Cooke vows; 'There's a lot of work ahead,' jubilant victor tells supporters," Hamilton Spectator, November 15, 1994, News, A1.

Mayoral election

Candidates

Michael Baldasaro, 45, spent the early portions of the campaign in the Barton Street Jail, having been convicted of marijuana trafficking. During the 1991 campaign, he advocated reducing the number of councillors per ward to one, the establishment of a police services board and a civic referendum on the legalization of prostitution and marijuana use. Steve Bunn, 25, was an exterminator with a local pest control company at the time of the 1991 mayoral election. He openly admitted to being a fringe candidate, but claimed that he wanted to "present to the people of Hamilton a civic strategy touching on the various key aspects of municipal operations such as the economy, environment, commerce, tourism, etc," He campaigned on a platform of building a giant slide down Hamilton mountain, placing a tax on carp caught from Cootes Paradise and establishing a "Hamilton Hall of Fame Wax Museum". Paul Decker, 34, was a retail manager at a local Canadian Tire store, and presented a moderate alternative to Mayor Morrow. His platform included the creation of a six lane Red Hill Creek Expressway, increased police visibility and starting an aggressive marketing campaign promoting the city as a place of investment. Robert Morrow, 48, was the sitting mayor. Formerly a teacher, he had been elected to council in 1968, and won the mayoralty in 1982.Sumi, Craig. "Nice guys do finish first; Morrow back for fifth term after convincing victory," The Hamilton Spectator, November 15, 2010, Metro Section, B1. His campaign focused on his experience in civic politics, redevelopment of the waterfront and reducing the size of Hamilton's city government. Allen Robert Skedden, 51, was the oldest candidate in the five-man race and had been on disability for a number of years thanks to his severe asthma. His platform included refusing the mayor's $85,000 salary and establishing a free breakfast and lunch program citywide. "When I was raised, a lot of us went to school hungry and that's a terrible feeling," he said in the early days of campaigning.

Campaign

Results

A poll released by the Hamilton Spectator and CHCH News days before the vote showed that 69% percent of respondents supported Mayor Morrow, while Baldasaro, Decker and Bunn each received 1% support. 27% were undecided or refused to answer.Spectator News Staff. "The Spectator; CHCH Election Poll," The Hamilton Spectator, November 8, 1994, Metro Section, B1. Skedden received no support in the pre-election poll and, despite Mayor Morrow's high support rating, his approval rating sat at only 45%.Peters, Ken. "Election '94; Morrow set for easy win; New poll suggests he will become Hamilton's longest-serving mayor," The Hamilton Spectator, November 8, 1994, Metro Section, B1.

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="13" |Sources: Sumi, Craig. "Nice guys do finish first; Morrow back for fifth term after convincing victory", The Hamilton Spectator, November 15, 2010, Metro Section, B1.

City council election

Ward One (West Hamilton-McMaster)

Incumbent Alderman Mary Kiss sought a fifth term, which would have made her the longest-serving female councillor in the city's history. Kiss made public safety her priority, seeking to put at least 60 new officers on the streets. She told the Spectator that, "Public safety and security is the No. 1 issue out there."Herron, Shaun. "Only one new face elected to city council; Marvin Caplan is the new kid in town", The Hamilton Spectator, November 15, 1994, Metro, B1.

The ward's other incumbent alderman, Terry Cooke, gave up his seat to seek the office of regional chairman, sparking a race between seven other challengers to fill the vacancy.Herron, Shaun. "Ward One; Race to replace Cooke", The Hamilton Spectator, October 22, 1994, Metro, B4.

Local businessman Marvin Caplan decided to run in the election to try to reverse some of the negative perceptions people had about municipal politicians and stayed away from making specific promises in the election. Where he did provide specifics was on the issue of McMaster University students, who make up a large portion of the renters in the area. He wanted to bring students and residents of the area together to pressure university administration to crack down on absentee landlords.

Cam Nolan took the step of drawing up position papers on different issues, placing fiscal prudence at the top of the list. He also put a priority on municipal reform, telling the Spectator, "I support a reduction in the number of aldermen because that shows leadership and responds to the needs of residents."

Charles Renaud, a local Liberal activist and candidate in the 1991 municipal election, ran to encourage more participation among citizens in municipal government.Davidson, Mike. "There are not enough women on Hamilton council," The Hamilton Spectator November 5, 1994, News, A11.

Among the other candidates, Evelyn Myrie, a social activist, focused on policing. Myrie was a notable member of the community at the time, raising money for the local St. Joseph's Hospital by running the 1993 London Marathon and was the chairwoman of the city's Status of Women subcommittee."Myrie out of blocks in race for Ward 1," The Hamilton Spectator, September 6, 1994, Metro, C3. Ray Paquette wanted to encourage more business development in the city, Pat Ielasi advocated fiscal responsibility and slimming the size of local government, and social worker Emmy Weisz campaigned on long-term planning.

1994 Hamilton, Ontario, municipal election

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