Ward 8 is my home — where my family lives, where I've built my career, where I'm raising my daughter. I'm running to be your next Ward 8 Councillor.
I'm not a career politician. I'm a Ward 8 resident, small business owner, healthcare professional, husband and father who believes municipal government should concentrate on getting the fundamentals right.
Like many residents, I've become increasingly concerned about the direction of our city. I've seen crime and public safety concerns reach neighbourhoods where families once rarely thought about them — my own grandmother was robbed in broad daylight not far from my home. I've watched traffic become worse, neighbourhood streets become busier, and drivers become increasingly careless. I've watched taxes and the cost of living continue to rise while residents understandably ask whether they're receiving better services in return.
And as a business owner, I understand what unnecessary bureaucracy, delays and rising costs can do to people trying to invest, build and create jobs in Hamilton. I believe we can do better. Rather than continuing to complain about these problems, I decided to do something about them.
"My goal isn't simply to win an election. It's to earn the trust of the people I represent every day afterward." — Nenos Damerchie
Seven commitments — practical, focused, and centred on the people who live and work in Ward 8. Tap any one to read more.
Everyone should feel safe walking down their street, letting their children play outside or operating a business in their neighbourhood. Public safety must remain one of the City's fundamental responsibilities.
I will advocate for practical measures to address crime, dangerous driving, speeding and neighbourhood safety while working with residents, police, City staff and community organizations to identify problems before they become worse.
The standard should be simple: people should feel safe in the neighbourhood they call home.
Hamilton cannot continue growing while expecting yesterday's transportation infrastructure to handle tomorrow's population. Congestion costs residents time, frustrates businesses and increasingly pushes traffic onto residential streets.
I want the City to take a practical approach: improve traffic flow, address dangerous intersections and streets, maintain our roads properly, improve pedestrian safety and make transportation decisions based on how people actually move around Hamilton.
Different modes of transportation can coexist — but the system has to work.
Hamilton residents are being asked to pay more at a time when almost everything else in their lives also costs more. Property tax increases cannot simply become the automatic solution whenever City expenses increase.
Before asking residents for more money, Council should be able to demonstrate that existing dollars are being spent responsibly. I will push for greater financial accountability, better scrutiny of major expenditures and clearer information so residents can understand where their tax dollars are going.
Being fiscally responsible doesn't mean refusing to invest in our city. It means making sure we're investing wisely.
Hamilton needs more housing, but approving housing on paper isn't enough. We need to examine the entire process that takes a project from an idea to construction.
Unnecessary delays in planning, permitting and approvals increase costs — and eventually, those costs are passed on to homeowners, renters and businesses. I support reviewing and streamlining Hamilton's permitting and approval processes while maintaining appropriate safety, planning and building standards.
Make Hamilton easier to build in — without lowering the standards that protect residents.
Upper James Street and the surrounding commercial areas are enormously important to Ward 8 and to Hamilton. A healthy commercial tax base helps support City services and reduces the pressure placed on residential taxpayers.
I want Hamilton to be a city where businesses want to open, invest, expand and remain. That means listening to local businesses, reducing unnecessary red tape, improving access and transportation, and recognizing that when businesses leave Hamilton, the economic consequences eventually affect all of us.
Residents shouldn't have to wait until infrastructure fails before it becomes a priority. Roads, sidewalks, sewers, water systems, parks and other basic infrastructure aren't glamorous political projects — but they're among the most important things municipal government does.
I want Ward 8 to receive its fair share of infrastructure investment and for the City to prioritize preventative maintenance wherever it makes financial sense.
Fixing problems early is usually less expensive than fixing them after they become emergencies.
Hamilton should welcome investment and new industries, but growth should not come at any cost. Projects with potentially significant demands on electricity, water, land or surrounding communities deserve careful scrutiny.
I support a moratorium on new large-scale AI data centre development while Hamilton establishes appropriate policies and understands the long-term implications for our infrastructure, environment and residents. At the same time, Council needs to recognize the limits of municipal authority and the possibility of provincial intervention — good policy needs to be both principled and legally realistic.
Hamilton should welcome innovation — but we should understand what we're agreeing to before making decisions that could affect the city for decades.
A councillor shouldn't disappear into City Hall after election day. I want residents to know who their councillor is, how to reach me, and that their concerns will be taken seriously. I won't pretend a councillor can solve every problem personally, or promise that everyone will always agree with my decisions. What I can promise is that I will listen, explain my decisions, and remember who I work for.
You shouldn't always have to come to City Hall to talk to your councillor. Sometimes the best way for me to understand a problem is to see it myself. If there's an issue affecting your street, neighbourhood, business, condo, apartment building or community organization — invite me to come and see it.
I want to hear about it. Tell me what's happening and why it matters to you.
Winning Ward 8 won't happen because of one candidate. It will happen because residents decide they want something different from their municipal government. Deliver literature, join us canvassing, help at community events, host a neighbourhood conversation, tell your neighbours — you don't need political experience. You just need to care about the future of Ward 8.
Knock on doors, deliver literature, make calls or help at events. An hour of your time goes a long way.
Volunteer → 02Show your neighbours where you stand. We'll deliver and install your lawn sign for you — free.
Request a sign → 03Invite me over — we'll talk through the issues on your street, at your kitchen table.
Request a visit → 04Signs, printed materials, outreach — every contribution helps us reach more residents across the ward.
Contribute →You don't have to agree with me to talk to me. Some of the most important conversations I have are with people who see an issue differently than I do. What's working? What's not? What would you change?
This campaign is about the people who live and work in Ward 8. Running a competitive campaign requires signs, printed materials, advertising, community outreach and the ability to reach thousands of residents across the ward. If you believe Ward 8 deserves accessible, practical and accountable representation at City Hall, I would be grateful for your support.
Every contribution helps us reach more residents. Your numbered contribution receipt is generated automatically the moment you donate — print it, save it as a PDF, or email yourself a copy.
I want her generation to inherit a city that is safe, affordable, prosperous and well managed. A city where families want to stay. Where businesses want to invest. Where neighbourhoods are safe. Where people can afford to live. And where residents believe their municipal government actually listens to them.
That's the Hamilton I want to help build. It starts here in Ward 8.
Issued for a contribution to the campaign of Nenos Damerchie, candidate for Ward 8 Councillor, City of Hamilton, under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. This receipt records your pledged contribution with the campaign; it is confirmed once your e-Transfer is received. It is not an income-tax receipt. Municipal campaign contributions are not tax deductible. Contributions totalling more than $100 from an individual will appear, with name and address, on the campaign’s publicly filed financial statement. Keep this receipt for your records.