In today’s Hamilton Spectator, rookie councillor Rob Cooper characterized Hamilton’s strong mayor framework as “almost like a monarchy,” suggesting councillors are now largely ornamental and that real authority rests solely with the mayor.
That framing, however, is analytically weak.
Strong mayor powers did not eliminate council. They did not remove votes. They did not suspend democracy. What they did was bring an end to a decades-old governance model that many Hamiltonians had grown to distrust: diffuse responsibility, backroom horse-trading, and budget outcomes that ultimately belonged to no one — and therefore to everyone — when things went wrong.
Council still votes. Council can still amend. Council can still override — through a supermajority that reflects consensus rather than convenience. What council can no longer do is retreat behind process while blaming staff, the mayor, or “the system” for outcomes it quietly accepted.
Persistent griping about this shift risks signalling political immaturity rather than principled concern.
Equally noteworthy is Councillor Cooper’s apparent willingness to seed speculation about a possible mayoral run. While he stopped short of an explicit declaration, he did little to dispel the impression, telling The Spectator that his name will be on the ballot — the only question being where that name will appear.
This is where restraint would serve him well.
Hamilton does not elect mayors on frustration alone. It elects mayors on the basis of profile, credibility, coalition-building, and a demonstrated understanding of the city that extends beyond a single ward or a single budget cycle.
Three months on council does not confer that.
There is nothing wrong with ambition. There is, however, something premature about signalling inevitability before earning visibility.
When Councillor Cooper was first elected, The Hamiltonian reached out with an invitation to interview him. At the time, he respectfully declined, citing a desire to become better acquainted with his new role. That was reasonable.
We look forward to having him as a guest in the future, so that Hamiltonians can better understand and assess his perspective. That invitation remains open.
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