1988 Hamilton, Ontario, municipal election

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contest the regional chairman's position instead. A controversial figure, Cowell was forced to resign as chairman of a regional committee after allegations that he was promoting his own business interests surfaced in 1987. A Progressive Conservative who unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination to stand as MPP for

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Ward Three was a hotly contested race, with incumbent alderman Pat Valeriano seeking the office of Regional Chairman over another term as East Hamilton-Stipley's representative. A working-class ward, the area faced the problem of slum landlords failing to maintain neighbourhoods, heavy trucks posing

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to the south expecting low taxes. Neglect of sidewalks, parks and other municipal services were major issues, with challengers proposing to fix the problems and keep taxes low to appease the ward's diverse communities. Three-term alderman Paul Cowell declined to seek election in Ward Six, opting to

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Incumbent alderman Vince Agro had served in his capacity as one of Ward Two's two representatives at city hall since 1964, with only three years off from 1976 to 1979 after a failed mayoralty bid. The former teacher had come under fire for his campaign against the city's executive committee and was

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representative body to find a pro-student candidate to challenge incumbent aldermen Terry Cooke and Mary Kiss. Ultimately, the attempt was unsuccessful. MSU president Cyrus Barucha noted that "Our real hope was to find someone respected by both the community and the students...we had several people

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Blair O'Halloran styled himself as a one-issue candidate, fighting back against the pay increase issued to aldermen. O'Halloran posted flyers across the ward shaming the sitting aldermen with the slogan "Don't Forget! Don't Elect!" Local Communist Bob Mann sought election in Ward 7, following bids

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graduate, Jackson ran third in the 1985 race. During the 1988 campaign, he called for the city to curb its spending habits, referred to the pay increase approved by alderman as 'disgusting' and was quoted as saying "I sense a yearning for a return to politicians who have honour, integrity, decency

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Ward Seven faced a 20% population jump between the 1983 and the 1988 election, quickly cementing its status as the city's most populated ward. In addition to a major flood in the summer of 1988 following a heavy storm, the growing senior population necessitated the construction of more retirement

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Marketing consultant Doreen Johnson was a community activist, serving on the Status of Women subcommittee at the city level and volunteering with the Immigrant Action Committee and the Hamilton and District Multicultural Centre. Tim Nolan also sought the seat, pushing for economic development and

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Agro's seatmate, Bill McCulloch, sought his eleventh term on council, and was, at the time, the longest-serving alderman in the city. His decision to seek another term surprised many in the city, as he had indicated he would not be running in the 1988 election. This announcement placed him in the

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commissioner Heinz Schweinbenz and attacked administrative officer Mac Carson over allegedly understating a report that critiqued aldermen for interfering in the operations of the city's bus service. Following those incidents, Gallagher was accused of attempting to remove the city's director of

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Agostino, for his part, ran on a platform of building more affordable housing, reducing local taxes and increasing voter connection to city hall. During his short tenure on council, Agostino angered some of his colleagues who criticized him of opportunism, after he created a bingo task force to

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Of the major issues facing Ward Two in the 1988 election, high-rise development, an aging population and the actions of the incumbent aldermen were at the forefront of the campaign. Traffic and parking issues were prominent as well, but more pressing were issues relating to the ward's long-time

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Kiss maintained her track record of a champion for the people, while highlighting the importance of preserving both the unique neighbourhoods and environmental characteristics of Ward One. A two-term alderman at the time, Kiss faced considerable criticism from members of the community over her

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and maintaining the Durand neighbourhood's character in the face of proposed high-rise developments. His main opposition came from residents of the city's Corktown and Stinson neighbourhoods, who were, "less than impressed with his efforts at ward healing." Agro was a prominent Hamilton-area

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from being stored at their facility. During the 1988 campaign, she fought for improvements to local traffic and lower taxes. Copps' campaign was adversely effected by the death of her husband during her first term, saying "It blew the wind out of our sails."

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to council, who had only 11 months of experience as alderman before contesting the 1988 election. The ward's second alderman, Reg Wheeler, announced he would not be seeking reelection to council, rather entering the race for regional chairman instead.

1162:, he found his resources drained and threw his energies into retaining his Ward Three seat. Hinkley, a long-time labour activist, focused his campaign on moving trucks from local roads to larger thoroughfares and improving access to the waterfront. 1689:

Shipping foreman Tom Rusich sought election for the third time in 1988, after contesting both the 1985 election and 1987 by-election in the ward. Rusich supported the Red Hill Valley Expressway and campaigned on better parks for local residents.

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to the south of the ward over issues residents had with their foundations and called for better sewage treatment facilities in the face of the flooding issues in the summer of 1988. Alternately, Merling was embroiled in controversy after he

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worker, challenged Agro and McCulloch for a second time, running on a platform of open communication. Laidlaw noted that he was frustrated the city spent considerable amounts of money on improving the Gore Park area and then allowed

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and Geraldine Copps. Road upgrades, improving sewers and the environmental impact of sewage treatment plants and the regional garbage incinerator were all cited as major concerns by the residents of the ward during the election.

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Elizabeth Savelli was an expressway opponent and campaigned on a platform of better planning and bringing down taxes though one-tier local government. Local actress Vera Raiser also contested the election, promoting a citywide

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for seniors, but attempts to broker a similar deal for Hamilton's unemployed failed. After a vote of council approved a 24% pay increase for aldermen, Christopherson refused to accept his, saying he disagreed with the process.

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by members of council and the handling of the student housing bylaw that he called "unenforceable". Hughes mentioned during the campaign that if he was unable to unseat either Kiss or Cooke, he would seek election once more in

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On election night, Cooke and Kiss were returned to council by a comfortable margin over Hughes. Cooke joked with Spectator reporter Mike Hanley that, if early results showed he was losing, people should look for him at the

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Among those challenging the incumbent aldermen were HSR operator Andy Asselin, who stood on a platform of improving the physical infrastructure of the ward and dealing with sewage issues. Asselin was endorsed by the local

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While student housing in the area was a main issue, the incumbent candidates stood firmly on a platform of their track records. Cooke, a one-term alderman and, at the time, the youngest member of council, pushed for more

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most objective position to review the pay of alderman, which was completed during his tenth term at city hall and recommended increasing the pay of municipal representatives by 24%. McCulloch was chairman of the city's

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and the first general election for the Hamilton-Wentworth regional chairman. The two-person race drew little attention from local media, with reporters and commentators noting that Church of the Universe minister

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Incumbent alderman Henry Merling was one of city hall's most controversial characters, gaining wide support among residents while earning the ire of his colleagues. Merling took on developers who were building

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After the Wheeler's announcement that he would be seeking higher office, former alderman Fred Lombardo, whom Wheeler defeated in 1985, announced his intention to contest his old seat. After a failed attempt in

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Gallagher was a one-term incumbent at the time of the election and faced sharp criticism from local media over a number of controversial incidents. Early in his term, Gallagher demanded a management review of

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and stormed a meeting of city council where the issue was to be discussed. Kiss championed their cause, but was ultimately unsuccessful thanks to a ruling against their stand by the

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widely critiqued in the area for his support of a high-density senior's building near a popular local landmark, the Thistle Club. Agro also cited the completion of a park on the

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Of the challengers, Tom Jackson ran the most aggressive campaign, noted in local media as appearing as if he was seeking federal or provincial office. A local businessman and

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Stephen Jones called for the renovation of the abandoned Inverness School into a seniors centre and day care, the only issue noted as a campaign plank in local media.

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Vince Formosi sought election once more in 1988, fought for Escarpment beautification, opening City Hall on Saturdays and proposed a south-Mountain superpark with a

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Retiree Joe Gaul sought election, running on an anti-incumbency platform, challenging McCulloch's plan to raise the Hamilton and Scourge. Gaul was active with the

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culture, Audell Schimmel. During the 1988 election, Gallager fought for the Red Hill Valley Expressway and promised to help improve sewage issues in the ward.

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employee and activist, worked with the Hamilton-Wentworth Social Planning and Research Council, the Hamilton and District Labour Council and the local

4035: 2292: 1683: 1675: 1647: 1631: 1435: 1383: 1176: 661: 63: 53: 1928:, Cowell was also threatened with a slander lawsuit in 1988 after making allegations about illegal dumping against a local waste management company. 1402:, Copps had built a record on supporting local residents against business interests. Early in her first term, she fought against a proposal to have 181: 1422:

Christopherson earned a reputation as a diligent committee chairman and advocate for the ward's disadvantaged. He championed changes to the city's

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The 1988 Election in Ward One saw tensions between homeowners and student residents come to the forefront of the campaign. In the summer of 1988,

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his Ward Seven seat-mate, John Gallagher, choking him after a dispute at city hall. Later, he accused Ward One alderman Mary Kiss of promoting

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Incumbent alderman Brian Hinkley had considered seeking the office of Regional Chairman, but after unsuccessfully standing as a

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Issues for the residents of Ward Five nearly all centered around traffic, as the ward was to play host to the controversial

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platform of reducing alderman's pay, dropping council's responsibilities to a part-time and cutting most civic spending.

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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noted that Cooke had attempted to secure over $ 250,000 in budget cuts in 1988. Cooke's campaign slogan in 1988 was

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Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)

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Ward Six faced issues characteristic of the city's mountain wards in 1988, with older neighbourhoods close to the

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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incinerated in Hamilton and stood with workers at the Hamilton's water treatment plant in their fight to prevent

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.

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The highest profile contender for the open Ward Three seat was Don Drury, campaign manager and assistant to

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Challenger Neil Hughes was a local businessman and political activist, having worked on the campaigns of

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examine how the industry operated in Hamilton, became the chairman of it and subsequently disbanded it.

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safety problems and industrial-residential mixing that negatively impacted the health of residents.

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requiring significant road repairs, senior citizens demanding more services and new families in

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in the ward, as well as pushing to clean up pollution and improving transportation in the area.

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The 1988 Mayoral race was overshadowed by a number of events, namely aldermanic contests, the

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service, a quick completion of the Red Hill Valley Expressway and one-tier local government.

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Stelco lab analyst Steve Cooper sought election a second time after placing fifth in the

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was held on November 14, 1988 to elect a Regional Chairman, a Mayor, sixteen members to

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On election night, Morrow said that his return with over 90% of the vote was nearly an

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and using abandoned local factories as uniform manufacturers for school children.

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Note: The 1988 election was the first where voters elected the Regional Chairman.

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Peter O'Hagan was an opponent of the Red Hill Valley Expressway and ran on a

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for Ward 2 alderman in 1978, Ward 4 alderman in 1980 and federal office in

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student Allan McDiarmid ran a very low-key campaign, pushing for all-day

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Following the defeats of both incumbent alderman in Ward Four during the

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Note: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.

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Brian Christmas. "Morrow swept back in with over 90% of the vote,"

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Christmas, Brian. "Morrow swept back in with over 90% of the vote,"

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Special election upon creation of the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth

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Dreschel, Andrew. "'The people' return the favour at ballot box",

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Morrison, Suzanne, "McCulloch, Agro team re-elected in Ward 2,"

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Morrison, Suzanne. "McCulloch, Agro team re-elected in Ward 2",

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Benedetti, Paul. "Clean campaign for a dirty job in Ward 4",

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Paul Benedetti. "Clean campaign for a dirty job in Ward 4,"

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