Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger announced Monday morning that he will not seek re-election.
Eisenberger said in a press release that it was time to “move on to the next chapter of his life.”
Municipal elections take place on October 24.
Eisenberger was elected mayor in 2006, defeating incumbent Larry DiIanni by just 452 votes, one of the closest mayoral elections in Hamilton’s history. He was defeated in 2010 by Bob Bratina and then, in 2014, defeated the current Ward 9 (upper Stoney Creek) Coun. Brad Clark will return as mayor. He easily won re-election in 2018.
“I’ve always done my best for the people of Hamilton, and as much as I enjoyed being your mayor, doing my best now requires me not to put my name on the ballot for the 2022 municipal election,” Eisenberger said. .
“I look forward to moving the landmark on a number of issues, including downtown redevelopment, affordable housing, coastal revitalization, building our economy, and public transportation, including LRT, among many others.
“I came to Hamilton as an eight-year-old immigrant boy who didn’t speak a word of English,” Eisenberger said. “I am forever grateful to the people of Hamilton for the honor and privilege of serving as mayor.”
Who will be the next mayor?
Candidates have until August 19 to submit their candidacy, nominate for a different position or withdraw their candidacy.
So far, only three candidates have expressed their intention to run for mayor, including:
- Bratina, who resigned as Liberal MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek because of his own government’s support for light rail traffic in Hamilton.
- Keanin Loomis, who resigned as CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce when he announced in January that he would run for mayor.
- Ejaz Butt, a former taxi industry leader and community activist, ran in 2014 and finished sixth.
Elections will be a major change for Hamilton City Council.
In addition to having a new mayor, there will be new councilors in neighborhoods 15, 11, 5 and 4.
Councilors Judi Partridge, Brenda Johnson, Russ Powers and Sam Merulla are also not running again.
It has been speculated on social media whether Ontario’s former NDP leader Andrea Horwath will run for mayor later announcing election night On June 2, he resigned as leader.
Hamilton Center MP confirmed to CBC Hamilton that she is not ready to make any announcements about the Hamilton municipal election, but her “heart is always in Hamilton.”
“Leadership is not easy and Hamilton has seen his fair share of challenges over the past few years,” Horwath said in a statement.
“As an MPP at Hamilton Center, I’ve always been able to count on Fred to be the kind of mayor who will always pick up the phone.”