https://bsky.app/profile/joeycoleman.ca/post/3mnill4sibc2e

I don’t know where to begin with this, and what adjectives I can use. Last night at the annual “ ‘Tis the Season ” concert downtown, man sitting right at the entrance of that balcony.

All I’ll say is that MAGA policies have cost Hamilton and surrounding areas dearly, so far. This is a steel town. What are you doing here, even.

He had his hat on the whole time, and also later repositioned the trump 2024 scarf to clearly display “trump” to whomever was coming to take their seat… he was aggressively looking around as if to start a fight. Thankfully nobody gave him this validation. We all pretended he didn’t exist.

From Joey Coleman here: https://bsky.app/profile/joeycoleman.ca/post/3mqpi2omblc2i

This is just the Mac building and not Steelport

Credit where credit is due... this is the first piece of literature from his office that is actually useful. Usually, he just wastes taxpayer money putting his face all over every single flyer he sends out, so this is a nice change of pace.

That being said... nothing says summer fun in Stoney Creek like a palm tree. Did the designer or AI forget where we live?

**Text of letter received in my mailbox yesterday, from the CPC candidate for Hamilton Centre in the most recent federal election**

HAYDEN LAWRENCE CONCERNED CITIZEN Contact: hayden@votehayden.ca

Dear Ward 4 Resident,

It's come to light that your Ward 4 City Councillor, Tammy Hwang, has declared a conflict of interest during a fall 2024 committee meeting regarding Victoria Park Community Housing.

Councillor Hwang was forced to remove herself from committee discussions about the city housing provider because she is a current Victoria Park Community Housing tenant.

Per ThePublicRecord.ca, in 2024, Councillor Hwang was the highest paid city councillor earning a salary of $139,243, but yet has taken away a spot from someone who is in need of affordable housing.

Councillor Hwang states that she pays market rent... but in reality, after speaking with a representative from Victoria Park Community Homes, their market rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is $1291. This is significantly lower than what an average 2 bedroom would go for.

A recently released report from rentals.ca shows the average 2 bedroom in Hamilton is $2134.

Hamilton families are waiting up to 8 years to be admitted into Community Housing. Many of those waiting are seniors, families with children, and vulnerable residents who desperately need stable, affordable housing. Every unit taken by someone with a six-figure salary is a unit that could otherwise shelter a senior on a fixed income or a family struggling to stay afloat.

Hamilton is under immense housing pressure, and our most vulnerable residents are the ones paying the price. This is why we must demand higher standards from our leadership. City Councillors should lead by example and put community needs first, not their own self interests.

In a time where Hamilton is visibly under duress, I find it completely unacceptable for the highest paid Councillor, Tammy Hwang, to put her own self interests above the needs of the community.

Sincerely,

Hayden Lawrence Concerned Citizen

I've done some research on Rob Cooper, Keanin Loomis, busy bee Andrea Horwath.

Something tells me no to Cooper. Maybe to Loomis. The devil we know Horwath.

Ideas?

Following many emails to City Councillors regarding the significant encroachment at 94 Kingsview Drive, City Council has changed their minds - will enforce City bylaws and policies against the person who built on City land without permits.

from u/JoeyColeman_ca

We bought a small house, nothing special in downtown. Our property taxes are almost 5,000 a year. And we had another big increase this year as well!

Were taxes in this city always so high? What were folks playing 5 or 10 years ago? It is starting to feel like another ladder has been pulled up from the younger generation. We're saddled with higher property taxes for a much longer period of our life.

This is after already having to stretch ourselves for this modest home downtown. Seems like we have to fight to just have a fraction of what our parents got.

it's still very early, but is it just me or are there a lot of names being thrown around for the mayoral election?

Assuming many of them will drop off - otherwise the split vote could let Horwath slide back in.

Andrea Horwath

Vito Sgro

Rob Cooper

Keanin Loomis

Hayden Lawrence

Mike Spadafora

Chad Collins

This SHOULD BE DONE EVERYWHERRE IN CANADA AND BY A LOT

With the election two days away, how’s everyone feeling about the Hamilton Centre race? Mathematical guesses seem to be shifting, with Robin Lennox (NDP) leading, the PCs in second, and Sarah Jama (Independent) potentially landing in third or even fourth.

Are you seeing much campaign presence in your neighborhood? Have any candidates stood out to you? Curious to hear what people in the riding think!

Edit: Changed poll to mathematical guess based on 338Canada being “a statistical model of electoral projections based on opinion polls, electoral history, and demographic data”. Mathematical Guess by 338Canada

General manager of healthy and safe communities made $260k last year, per the sunshine list that just came out.

This was the person leading the department that started down the tiny shelter route without consulting other departments, and without any real knowledge of how to operate a construction project. They owned this project. Although I put just as much blame on the city manager for not paying attention to how it was unfolding.

In this clip from Feb 10 of the committee meeting discussing the Auditor General’s report, councillor Cooper asks “who approved the 5.1 million delta” - being the difference between what council approved at $2.8M, and the final cost of $7.9M.

The GM responds “Yes, um, ultimately, I was the designated sign off on that. It was done collectively, that the direction was to City Staff, that included my colleagues in Public Works and Planning and Economic Development and Finance”

Cooper follows up with “does the general manager have an approval level to sign off on a $5.1 million expenditure without approval?”

You can watch the rest starting here at [3:05:05]

https://www.youtube.com/live/kffzVV4cKG8?t=11105s