1985 Hamilton, Ontario, municipal election

The 1985 Hamilton municipal election was held on November 12, 1985 to elect a Mayor, sixteen members to Hamilton, Ontario City Council, fourteen members to the Hamilton Board of Education and sixteen members to the Hamilton-Wentworth Roman Catholic Separate School Board. In addition, this election was accompanied by a referendum question asking voters if they wanted to directly elect individuals to the office of Regional Chairman.

1985 Hamilton municipal election

November 12, 1985

JC Candidate Bob Morrow Jim Campbell Popular vote 51,305 31,956 Percentage 59.03% 36.77%

Mayor before election Robert Morrow Independent Elected Mayor Robert Morrow Independent

Campaign

The 1985 municipal election campaign came in the wake of the year's earlier provincial election that saw a Liberal minority government, supported by the Ontario NDP, come to power after the swift defeat of Frank Miller's Progressive Conservatives in a confidence motion in the weeks following the vote.

The change in government had impacted the city's local politics, as Premier Miller had vowed to extend GO Train commuter rail service to the city and supported the rapid transit GO-ALRT project. Following the election of the Liberals, both GO-ALRT and extended GO service to Hamilton were cancelled. Due to the fluctuating transit situation in the area, candidates ran on platforms that, in some way, addressed transit.

Prior to the 1985 vote, an advocacy group calling itself Concerned Citizens for Hamilton (CCH) formed to endorse candidates for office with a pro-business perspective. CCH solicited donations, eventually collecting approximated $25,000 to support candidates through third-party advertisements. The group's donations came under fire when the advertisements they printed in the Hamilton Spectator were investigated by the city as potentially contravening the Hamilton's election financing bylaw. Ultimately, CCH was cleared of any wrongdoing by the city. Though CCH solicited donations and campaigned on behalf of candidates, members denied they were a political party and lamented the fact they needed to organize. The organizers noted the 1985 vote was the most important in the city since the election of 1949 and one commented to the Hamilton Spectator that the organization was necessary to protect the city, adding "I hope we never have to do this again. This time was an exceptional circumstance."

Referendum

Hamilton, Ontario Municipal Election
1985 Regional Chairman referendum

Question	Yes		No
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Are you in favour of direct-elections for the office of Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Chairman?	77,991	85.7	13,013	14.3
Total votes	91,005
Registered voters	229,741
Sources: Estok, David. "Voters want to elected regional leadership", Hamilton Spectator, Wednesday, November 13, 1985, A6.

Mayoral election

The 1985 mayoral contest saw incumbent Mayor Bob Morrow, then 39, defend his three-year administration under the pressure of the lingering economic recession that had decimated the city's steel industry. By the election campaign, the city's unemployment rate had dropped to 5.8% and Morrow campaigned on his record of attracting new jobs to the region. Additionally, Morrow sought to expand GO Transit service to the city and bring more suburban services under the central administration of the municipality. Unlike during his first campaign, Morrow was endorsed by the Hamilton Spectator.

Morrow faced two challengers: former Board of Control member Jim Campbell and small business owner Marvin Sommer. Campbell, who retired from council in 1976, had sought political comebacks in 1980 and 1982, running for Ward 1 and Ward 7 councillor respectively. Campbell, then 64, was a millionaire who operated a concrete manufacturing plant on Hamilton mountain who campaigned on a small-business platform. Seeking a completion to the Red Hill Valley Expressway and a perimeter road to create a highway ring-road around Hamilton, Campbell proposed to tackle unemployment by creating a mayor's advisory panel consisting of local business and labour leaders. He additionally proposed reinstating the abolished Board of Control and reducing council's term of office to two years.

Sommer, a 49-year old James Street merchant at the time of the election, also ran on a pro-business platform, though promoted few specific policies. In an interview with a Spectator reporter, Sommer admitted he had not paid business taxes to the city in two years and his business was in danger of being shut down.

The campaign generated a moderate amount of interest among members of the electorate. At a CHCH-TV-sponsored call-in debate, only six local residents telephoned with questions for the candidates.

On election night, Morrow topped the polls, holding a lead of over 19,000 votes on Campbell.

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Mayoral Election

Candidate		Popular vote
		Votes	%	±%
	Robert Morrow (incumbent)	51,305	59.03%	+28.02
	Jim Campbell	31,956	36.77%	n/a
	Marvin Sommer	3,650	4.20%	n/a
Total votes		86,911	37.83%
Registered voters		229,741	100%
Note 1: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 2: 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.
Sources: Estok, David. "'Nice guy' Bob Morrow jubilant", The Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, News, A6.

City Council election

Ward 1 (Chedoke-Cootes)

The race for Ward One alderman was the third time in as many years that electors would go to the polls to select a new member of city council. In early 1985, incumbent alderman Peter Peterson was elected to the Ontario legislature as a Progressive Conservative, triggering a by-election in which former alderman Paul Drage recaptured a seat on council. This came after his loss to Peterson and Mary Kiss in 1982, after capturing the seat vacated after his wife and the area's alderman, Kay Drage, died in 1979.

Drage and Kiss campaigned on their record of standing in opposition to the city's proposed GO-ALRT plan due to proposals that would have expropriated property along York Boulevard in the ward's north end. As sitting members of council, they instead rested their transit hopes on the promise of expanded GO Train service.

Drage, 61 at the time of the election, stood on a platform called for an expansion of the area's highways, including completing the Red Hill Valley Expressway and the mid-mountain expressway, as well as advocating for more supermarkets in the area. Kiss, who refused to give her age to the Hamilton Spectator, opposed GO Transit expansion and promoted investment in local industry.

Terry Cooke, a candidate in the by-election that occurred earlier in the year, promoted a rapid transit link to Toronto using existing heavy rail infrastructure and advocated reinstating the Board of Control. Joanne Gallacher, a 31-year-old business owner, promoted a rapid transit solution and improvements to the city's bayfront. David Gava, a 22-year-old student, called for dismantling regional government and improving rental accommodations. Two law-enforcement officials, 54-year-old Frank Preston and Victor Zwirewich, 61 at the time of the vote, both ran on conservative platforms, with Preston calling for an end to city council 'freeloading' and Zwirewich promoting a law-and-order platform.

The Hamilton Spectator endorsed Cooke and Zwirewich for the two aldermanic positions. Cooke was CCH's preferred candidate for election.

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward One Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	Terry Cooke	5,970	55.79%
	Mary Kiss (incumbent)	4,384	40.97%
	Paul Drage (incumbent)	3,410	31.87%
	Vic Zwirewich	2,822	26.37%
	Joanne Gallacher	1,053	9.84%
	Frank Preston	587	5.80%
	David Gava	481	4.76%
Total votes		10,701
Registered voters		28,533	37.50%
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: Coutts, Jane. "Result in Ward 1 seen as strong call for change", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, A7.

Ward 2 (Downtown)

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Two Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	Vince Agro (incumbent)	3,998
	Bill McCulloch (incumbent)	3,407
	John Roy	2,086
	William Laidlaw	1,647
	Peter Rhodes	1,363
	Catherine Macinnis	1,363
	Joe Chiarelli	589
	Jim Travale	394
	John McCabe	212
Total votes
Registered voters		28,834
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: MacNeil, Mark. "Agro, McCulloch buck the trend for change", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, News, A7.

Ward 3 (Hamilton Centre)

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Three Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	Pat Valeriano	5,169
	Brian Hinkley (incumbent)	4,318
	Mike Davidson	4,084
	Don Drury	2,603
	Peter Boldrini	1,890
	Bill Dickens	1,052
	Frank MacDonald	547
	Caesar Tam	317
Total votes
Registered voters		30,317
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: Porter, Brian. "Valeriano stages comeback", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, A7.

Ward 4 (East Hamilton)

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Four Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	Geraldine Copps	5,992	48.33%
	David Christopherson	4,958	40%
	Don Gray (incumbent)	3,069	24.75%
	Vince Scott (incumbent)	2,883	23.25%
	John Ellis	2,373	19.14%
	Gaspare Bonomo	878	7.08%
	Larry Wheaton	535	4.32%
	Bob Fanjoy	289	2.33%
Total votes		12,398
Registered voters
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: Wilson, Paul. "That old Copps magic still works", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, A7.

Ward 5 (Red Hill)

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Five Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	Shirley Collins (incumbent)	6,238
	Reg Wheeler	3,608
	Fred Lombardo (incumbent)	2,439
	Mark Campbell	1,588
	Ralph Musitano	1,421
	Tom Rusich	1,377
	Ozzie Ferguson	572
Total votes
Registered voters
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: Pettapiece, Mike. "Collins won the most votes of any alderman", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, A7.

Ward 6 (East Mountain)

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Six Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	John Smith	5,718
	Paul Cowell (incumbent)	5,320
	Tom Jackson	4,384
	David Bach	2,153
	Bob Fasching	1,754
	Vince Formosi	1,655
	Fred White	437
	Gerald Marchildon	289
Total votes
Registered voters		27,735
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: Howard, Rob. "John Smith back after 18-year absence", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, A7.

Ward 7 (Central Mountain)

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Seven Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	John Gallagher	5,574
	Henry Merling (incumbent)	5,224
	Ken Edge	4,755
	Bruce Charlton (incumbent)	4,341
	Steven Cooper	1,285
	Danny Stanidis	459
	Fred Jongeling	438
Total votes
Registered voters
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: Von Appen, Kevin. "Victorious barber will take polls on issues", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, A7.

Ward 8 (West Mountain)

Summary of the November 12, 1985 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Eight Alderman Election

Candidate		Popular vote		Elected?
		Votes	%
	Tom Murray(incumbent)	4,883	41.12%
	Don Ross	4,419	37.21%
	Jim Bethune (incumbent)	4,291	36.14%
	Vince Curtis	2,696	22.7%
	Bruce Aikman	2,536	21.36%
	Lorna Kippen	1,892	15.93%
Total votes		11,875	41.88%
Registered voters		28,354
Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total. Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan. Note 3: 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.
Sources: Dreschel, Andrew. "Newcomer Don Ross upsets veteran Jim Bethune", Hamilton Spectator, November 13, 1985, A7.

See also

• List of Hamilton, Ontario municipal elections