It’s election season in the City of Hamilton. Nine candidates are vying for the mayoral seat, and a further 81 are vying for 15 City Council seats. It is not unreasonable to expect that the political landscape in Hamilton is about to shift significantly.
According to the City of Hamilton, Ward 6 is also known as the East Mountain area, an urban ward situated in the east end of Hamilton on the Niagara Escarpment. Its borders are the north and east edge of the Niagara Escarpment, the Upper Red Hill Valley Expressway (east), the hydro corridor (south), Upper Gage Avenue between LINC and the escarpment and Upper Sherman Avenue from Rymal Road East to the LINC (west).
In a joint partnership between the Hamilton Arts Council and Beyond James, a nonpartisan candidate survey was sent to these prospective leaders to map out their vision for our city. Just three questions have provided a window into what those running for office in Hamilton would do to invest in creativity.
The Hamilton Arts Council will utilize survey responses to continue conversations with elected councillors following the election.
Tom Jackson
What arts event is a must do for every Hamiltonian?
Several salient must-do arts events in Hamilton are Supercrawl and artcrawl and Hamilton Folk Arts and many galleries (ex. The Art Gallery of Hamilton) and live theatres (ex. Theatre Aquarius).
What do you see as an opportunity to expand arts and culture in Hamilton?
Continued and enhanced financial support and promotion of arts and culture via the City Enrichment Fund…which I advocate via my membership on the City’s grants sub-committee this past term of council.
If elected, how will you leverage your position as a City Councillor to advance the arts in Hamilton?
Applying to serve on the grants sub-committee and strongly advocating for additional $$ at the annual budget operating discussions and by visiting with the multitude of arts/cultural events in Hamilton and meeting with the City’s Arts Council and other leadership in place promoting arts/culture in our city and corresponding employment too.
Donna Puddu
What arts event is a must do for every Hamiltonian?
Art week is a must, this event exposes Hamiltonians to different artist, and mediums
What do you see as an opportunity to expand arts and culture in Hamilton?
One thing I would like to see is more exposure to art for our youth, we have amazing artists that could be mentors. My two grown children are very creative and artistic, but as youth there weren’t a lot of options for them to be exposed to all the different mediums, or expand their creativity.
If elected, how will you leverage your position as a City Councillor to advance the arts in Hamilton?
I want to see our downtown revitalized with theater, art hubs, commercial and private dwellings, making it a place for everyone to enjoy, and be exposed to everything Hamilton has to offer. It is important to have conversations with the people involved directly in the arts, find out what is needed, and where the City can assist to grow artistic culture in Hamilton.
Stefan Spolnik
What arts event is a must do for every Hamiltonian?
I believe that a must do art event for every Hamiltonian is Supercrawl. This event showcases multiple types of art in an appealing and welcoming way. Whether a person is interested in music, contemporary art or paintings, there is a little bit of everything for Hamiltonians to enjoy.
What do you see as an opportunity to expand arts and culture in Hamilton?
I see a huge opportunity to expand arts in culture in the City by means of increasing public art. The downtown core is chalked full of murals by a wide variety of artists but these public pieces are largely lacking on the mountain. I would like to increase public art and work towards beautification of public and private buildings.
If elected, how will you leverage your position as a City Councillor to advance the arts in Hamilton?
I would leverage my position as a City Councillor by being an advocate for advancing the arts and allowing my fellow councillors to see the importance the arts have in our communities. I would vote in favour of arts centred projects and prioritize the arts in council decisions.
No Response Received
Chris Slye
Dan Preston
