Starting at the Top: An Assessment of Mayor Andrea Horwath- so far.....

The Hamiltonian recently indicated that we would be commencing our election coverage. While the city is not formally in election mode, taxpayers will soon begin sizing up options as to who should lead the city. In short, the puck is almost ready to be dropped. 

Here are some observations with respect to the Mayor. 

Andrea Horwath has now been mayor long enough for Hamilton residents to judge her not by promise, but by performance. The simplest way to assess her term is to ask three questions: Has she set clear priorities? Has she moved files forward? And have outcomes improved in ways people can feel day to day? On those measures, her record is mixed but substantive: tangible progress on housing approvals, transit planning, and climate initiatives; persistent public frustration on affordability, homelessness, taxes, and safety; and periodic controversies that have complicated her message.

Housing and homelessness

Horwath has made housing and homelessness the defining policy lane of her mayoralty. The city exceeded at least one annual housing-start target and secured provincial incentive funding tied to housing delivery. That matters because it reflects more than rhetoric: approvals, starts, and money attached to performance.

At the same time, “more units in the pipeline” has not yet translated into broad relief from rising rents, low vacancy, or visible street-level disorder. Homelessness remains the most immediate and emotionally charged indicator of city distress. Council’s approach during her term has leaned toward harm reduction, temporary shelter solutions, and protocols that attempt to balance compassion with park and neighborhood impacts. This has left Horwath vulnerable to criticism from both sides: some residents feel the city tolerates encampments too readily; others argue the city still lacks enough safe alternatives and supportive housing to make enforcement fair or effective.

The report of the auditor general that slammed the city’s tiny shelter project for its “lack of accountability, governance and control mechanisms", certainly casts an unfavourable shadow over any progress made on the housing file; particularly with the significant cost overruns in the quantum of millions. 

The Mayor's  willingness to use (or threaten to use) strong-mayor powers in a housing dispute signaled a governing style that is generally collaborative but becomes forceful when she believes council decisions jeopardize core housing objectives. Supporters read this as urgency and leadership. Critics read it as heavy-handed and insufficiently consultative.

Transportation and transit

Horwath’s term has also been consequential on transit, mainly because long-debated plans have moved closer to implementation. The Hamilton LRT file advanced through ongoing preparatory steps toward procurement and construction. Meanwhile, council approved a major redesign of the bus network intended to increase frequency, improve cross-city connectivity, and align with the future LRT. These are structural decisions that could improve mobility and economic access over time.

The downside is timing and disruption: residents often experience transit change as years of planning before benefits show up, and major capital projects bring inconvenience before they bring improved service. Horwath deserves credit for advancing the planning and political alignment, but the most visible wins will likely land after significant construction and operational ramp-up.

Fiscal management and taxes

The city faces genuine pressures: inflation, interest rates, infrastructure needs, and cost growth in boards and services that are difficult to compress quickly. Horwath’s philosophy has largely been to protect services and invest in priorities (housing supports, transit, emergency response) rather than pursue large service cuts to hold down tax increases.

That approach is coherent, but it creates a predictable political trade-off: taxpayers see larger bills now, while many benefits are either long-term (transit, housing supply) or targeted (programs that not everyone uses directly). The fairness question is unavoidable: residents who are stretched financially may feel they are paying more without seeing commensurate improvement in core quality-of-life indicators like cleanliness, safety, and affordability.

Public safety and social disorder

Hamilton has faced heightened concern about shootings, hate incidents, and broader social disorder. Horwath’s posture has emphasized prevention and “community safety and well-being” approaches alongside traditional policing. She supported convening and coordination efforts and has also funded emergency services through successive budgets. This is the practical reality of municipal leadership: even mayors who prefer upstream solutions still have to resource police, fire, and paramedics.

Results are mixed. In some periods, shootings and violence have shown signs of easing from prior peaks, but residents’ sense of safety is shaped by high-profile incidents and daily experience at transit stops, parks, and commercial strips. Horwath’s approach may be directionally sound, but the outcomes remain fragile and uneven.

Climate, environment, and growth form

On climate and environmental policy, Horwath has positioned Hamilton as more ambitious: expanding tree planting, supporting home retrofit initiatives, advancing green building standards, and strengthening regional cooperation. She has also been publicly resistant to growth patterns that push outward sprawl when the city argues it can accommodate more housing within the existing urban footprint.

This is an area where municipal action can be real but incremental. Progress is visible in programs and standards; the larger emissions and resilience outcomes depend heavily on industry, transportation patterns, and sustained funding over many years.

Leadership, transparency, and controversies

Horwath’s leadership style has generally been more collaborative and institution-focused than personality-driven. She has been willing to apologize for institutional failures that predate her (notably around infrastructure governance and public trust) and to support reforms. That has helped tone and credibility at City Hall.

However, her term has also included controversies that complicate public confidence. The Mayor says the right things where transparency is concerned, but matching actions with statements is just as important. Residents of Hamilton still are denied information pertaining to how much the city spent managing the water workers strike- tax money. 

The Mayor's interactions with The Hamiltonian have been distant as of late. We will not comment any further, other than to say we will continue to reach out to her with fair questions- even when some of those questions are tough.

Bottom line

Horwath’s tenure to date can be summarized as earnest, policy-heavy, and oriented toward long-term city-building, with measurable movement on housing delivery, transit planning, and climate standards. The central critique is not lack of activity; it is the gap between big structural initiatives and the immediate lived experience of residents facing affordability strain, visible homelessness, and tax fatigue. Some of that disconnect cannot be laid at the Mayor's feet, as it is the nature of longer term solutions. 

If the second half of her term produces clearer, on-the-ground improvements that people can feel (reduced encampment pressure through real shelter capacity, more reliable transit service, credible restraint on tax increases, and sustained reductions in violence), she will be able to argue that early investments and hard decisions were justified. If those daily indicators do not improve, voters may conclude that Hamilton got plans, spending, and process, but not enough results.

Stay tuned...