1997 Hamilton, Ontario, municipal election

The 1997 Hamilton municipal election was held on November 10, 1997, to elect municipal officials for the City of Hamilton. Hamiltonions selected one mayor, one regional chairperson, and seventeen members of the Hamilton City Council, who were elected on a two-tier basis, as well as members of both the English and French Public and Catholic School Boards.Clairmont, Susan. "This time, the choice is all about change," The Hamilton Spectator, November 10, 1997, Local News (A4) The suburban communities of Ancaster, Flambrough, Glanbrook, Dundas and Stoney Creek, each elected town councils for the last time before amalgamation.Clairmont, "This time, the choice is all about change," (A4)

Voter turnout remained steady in 1997, amidst events such as Premier Mike Harris' Common Sense Revolution service cuts, the Plastimet Fire, and plebiscites on smoking by-laws and a proposed casino.

New measures For the 1997 election, the City of Hamilton switched from paper ballots to a new automated voting system. This system saw voters mark their choices on a paper ballot, enclose it in a 'privacy sleeve' and feed it into a computer that automatically tabulated the results.Clairmont, Susan. "Who is eligible, and new machines," The Hamilton Spectator, November 10, 1997, Local News (A4)

Referendums

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="7" |Note: Vote totals for each question were different as voters did not need to vote on each question.

| style="text-align:left;" colspan="13" |Sources:

Mayoral election

Official candidates

Incumbent Mayor Bob Morrow sought, and won, a sixth term in 1997. His campaign was centered around the establishment of a one-tier 'megacity', and the lowering of downtown taxes.Cox, Christine. "Still fire in Morrow's belly," The Hamilton Spectator, November 11, 1997, Election Review (B1). Civil Servant Dave Snowdon was an employee of Human Resources Development Canada and called the east Mountain home. The 31-year-old father of two focused on making the city a more inclusive community, especially in respects to youth, increased investment in the downtown core and promoted environmentally responsible issues.Prokaska, Lee. "Mountain resident off and running for mayor," The Hamilton Spectator, October 7, 1997, Local News (A10). Fitness instructor Kristina Heaton was the first female contender for the position since 1978, and campaigned on uniting environmental groups across the city, establishing a monitoring system to investigate cases of animal abuse and increasing police foot-patrols in the downtown core.Cox, Christine. "A reach for the top: Six mayoral challengers want to take Bob Morrow's job away from him," The Hamilton Spectator, October 29, 1997, Local News (A4). Future city councillor Brian McHattie ran on an environmentally conscious platform that promoted practical spending, and supported an inquiry into the Plastimet disaster, improving municipal air quality and upgrading the city's sewer system.The Hamilton Spectator. "Environmentalist in mayor's race: Brian McHattie enters bid to unseat Bob Morrow", The Hamilton Spectator, October 10, 1997, Local News (A5). Paul Decker was the automotive manager of a Canadian Tire store in Dundas, and ran in the 1994 Election, finishing second to Mayor Morrow. Though known in his community for his volunteer work and commitment to municipal affairs, he was arrested a year after the 1997 election on charges of defrauding his employer for under $1,500.Cox, Christine. "Decker facing jail term: Ex-mayoralty candidate pleads guilty to theft, fraud charges", April 9, 1998, Local News (A3)." College student Waylon MacDonald, who was training to be a machinist at the time of the election, advocated a reversal of the downtown conversion to one-way streets and focused on reducing the debt. An unemployed moulder in 1997, Wendel Fields, who was also a former candidate for the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada in the riding of Hamilton West in 1997, promoted the idea of establishing 'people's councils' to ensure Hamiltonians had a say in the direction of their tax-dollars, as well as lowering taxes for small businesses, while raising them for large corporations.

Results

City council election

Ward 1

| style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" |Registered voters | style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" | | style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" | | style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" |

| 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:

Mary Kiss successfully ran for a sixth term in 1997, promoting her personal record of constituency work and environmental advocacy, as well as highlighting the very small tax increases that have occurred during her tenure on council.Hughes, Rick. "Voters cozy up to Kiss, Caplan: Tough campaigns fall short for Nolan and Whatmough", November 11, 1997, Election Review (B7). Incumbent Marvin Caplan made a successful bid for a second term as Ward One's junior councillor in 1997, promoting his advocacy on downtown issues and promoting social justice.Huges, "Voters cozy up to Kiss, Caplan: Tough campaigns fall short for Nolan and Whatmough" (B7). Second-time candidate Cam Nolan was the executive director of the Hamilton Construction Association at the time and ran on a fiscal responsibility and anti-incumbency platform. Newcomer Sarah Whatmough, owner of multiple gas stations across the city, campaigned against bureaucratic red tape and promoted direct democracy in dealing with municipal issues. As Sarah Thomson, she would later run for mayor of Toronto in 2010 and was a Liberal candidate in the 2011 Ontario election.

Ward 2

1997 Hamilton, Ontario, municipal election

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