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Hamilton Ward 8 votes in new city councillor after tight byelection race
Hamilton’s Ward 8 has voted in a new city councillor after a very tight byelection race.
The unofficial results show that Rob Cooper won by 87 votes over Terry Whitehead. All results will be certified by Hamilton’s city clerk later this week.
There were 26 candidates vying for the councillor position.
Cooper, a McMaster graduate and chartered professional accountant, won with 1,129 votes followed by Whitehead with 1,042 and Barry Quinn with 917.
Sonia Brown was the runner-up in the last Ward 8 election and had 334 votes in the byelection.
The unofficial turnout was just under 21 per cent of of 27,982 eligible voters in Ward 8.
A Ward 8 resident for 22 years, Cooper ran on the platform to tackle crime and end tax increases.
His projected win has already been met with congratulations from Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath.
#HamOnt Congratulations to Ward 8’s councillor-elect, Rob Cooper. Thank you to all the candidates who stepped forward to represent their community.
I look forward to working together on behalf of Hamiltonians – in Ward 8 and across our city.
Welcome to @cityofhamilton Council! pic.twitter.com/I2izME1VXf
— Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) September 23, 2025
John-Paul Danko, Liberal MP for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, also extended his congrats to the councillor-elect, saying he will “bring a strong fiscal perspective to the City of Hamilton.”
Danko triggered the Ward 8 byelection after vacating his seat in the spring to run in the federal election.
The inaugural council meeting for the newly elected member of council will be held on Oct. 8 and the term of office will end next year on Nov. 14.
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