Clark looking to steer city as mayor

Nominations for the October municipal election closed today. And there are officially eleven candidates for mayor in the city of Hamilton. We’re profiling some of the front runners including current councillor — and mayoral hopeful Brad Clark.

Most Hamiltonians know Clark best as a Stoney Creek councillor. But he feels he has a handle on the city as a whole, and wants to steer it in a new direction as mayor.

Brad Clark is no stranger to the campaign trail. Before winning a spot as Hamilton’s ward 9 councillor, he was an MPP for Stoney Creek and served as transportation minister:
“That opens the doors to Queen’s Park like it has never been before for any other mayor.”

He believes his ministerial experience gives him unrivaled insight into dealings with the province, including the feasibility of a light rail transit line across downtown: “Quite frankly, the city can’t afford it.”

Though he’s previously voted in favour of LRT, Clark now favours expanding rapid bus service across the city, and bringing GO Transit to Winona: “We need to address the needs of Hamiltonians right across this city and to ensure that the services are there.”

Clark says his priorities as mayor would be streamlining spending, improving basic city services, promoting Hamilton’s green space and bringing high paying jobs to the city by forging international relationships: “We just need a mayor that is actually going to step up to the line and make sure that he is the ambassador for the city, not only with the senior levels of government but with these other countries, with these other CEO’s.”

Using the Pan-Am Games as a launching pad, he hopes to attract foreign investment abroad. And focus spending on faltering infrastructure here at home.