Before the Ballot- with Ward 3 Councillor Candidate Andrew Selman

Welcome to Before the Ballot- with Ward 3 Councillor Candidate Andrew Selman.

What motivated you to run for council, and why do you believe now is the right time for new leadership in your ward?

I'm a lifelong Hamiltonian, and I live right here in Ward 3 with my wife and our daughter. Hamilton, and specifically Ward 3, has incredible potential. This vibrant neighbourhood, full of diverse and hardworking people, is a massive motivating factor for me. I've heard from so many residents across our community who simply do not feel heard by our current Councillor. They don't get calls back, and they don't get answers on the issues that matter most to their daily lives. Our family has felt the exact same way.

Recently, we have all seen the municipal drift. We feel the lack of transparency from City Hall, and we see the lack of progress on our streets. But we absolutely have the power to change course.

I never intended to be a politician, and quite frankly, I do not intend to become a career politician. I have made my living as a data and compliance analyst. My career has been built on examining the numbers, identifying inefficiencies, and holding large organizations to a higher standard so they can improve. When I look at the finances coming out of City Hall, they simply do not add up for the families living here in Ward 3. I know I have the professional tools to help fix that.

We need a Ward 3 Councillor who will stand up and demand the respect taxpayers deserve. When we talk to our neighbours, we hear the exact same frustration from so many. We are all working harder, we are paying way more in property taxes, we are watching our current Councillor support new property taxes added to our bills, and we are getting less and less back from our city. Under our current representation, taxes have jumped more than 30 percent over her two terms. We have been crushed by back-to-back hikes totaling over 22 percent in just the last four years alone.

Now is the right time for new leadership, because we can no longer afford to fund City Hall's mistakes while our elected official passively stands by. We are paying for a micro shelter project at Barton and Tiffany that ballooned 300 percent over budget. We are paying millions in extra interest because the city has failed to file basic financial reports, which cost us our AAA credit rating. We are also paying for nearly 1,000 new city staff hired in just four years, yet our daily municipal services have gotten worse.

We do not need more political rhetoric. We need a representative who will demand measurable results, put a stop to the runaway spending, and go to work for you every single day. We need a fresh approach to how this city operates.

Every ward has its own unique challenges. What do you believe are the top three issues facing residents in your ward today, and how would you address them?

Affordability, Tax Hikes, and Wasteful Spending

Ward 3 families have been crushed by property tax hikes totaling more than 20 percent over the last four years. We have to stop draining our emergency reserve funds just to hide the cost of everyday city operations. While you are being asked to pay more, City Hall payroll costs have skyrocketed, yet the services you rely on have not improved. Instead of actually fixing the terrible state of our local roads, we get temporary patches and quick political photo ops. Through all this, the current Ward 3 councillor has failed to stop the drift and get us back on track.

We need real oversight to fix this. We need to improve the processes that dictate how business gets done in this city. I will push for tough, independent audits to cut wasteful upper management and high-priced consultants. I will demand strict project oversight to stop scope creep and eliminate government waste. At the same time, I will fiercely protect the vital frontline workers who actually deliver for our community.

Safe and Clean Neighbourhoods

Derelict and burned-out buildings are magnets for crime. In Ward 3, a few bad-apple property owners sitting on these long-abandoned buildings are actively holding our communities back. I will launch a 90-day action plan to force the cleanup or demolition of dangerous, fire-gutted shells along the Barton, Main, and King corridors.

When we crack down on these properties, we force negligent owners to either fix them up or sell them. This grows our city tax base and lowers the burden on everyday residents without raising your tax rates. That means we can finally start investing in our neighbourhoods again. We can fund the infrastructure we desperately need so our kids have safe, vibrant parks they can actually enjoy, and we can finally repair our crumbling streets the right way.

We need to enact cleaning protocols on our cherished Ward 3 alleys, ensure our kids have safe walks to school by investing in crossing infrastructure, and foster a welcoming environment where every resident, regardless of who you are, feels proud to call our community home

Modernizing Hamilton and Growing Our Local Economy

While neighbouring cities modernize how they do business by streamlining approvals and fostering growth, our outdated processes are holding Ward 3 and Hamilton back. It’s time to bring Hamilton into the 21st century so that it finally works for you. We need to cut the red tape at City Hall. By shaving months off the permit process, we help local entrepreneurs get to work faster to revitalize commercial hubs like Barton Street. We also need to protect our existing community builders. I will fight hard for grants to keep our local shops open during the LRT construction.

Fixing up our commercial main streets is the smartest way to grow our tax base without squeezing families. By adopting modern, proactive policies, we can unlock local growth and bring long-term investment and more good jobs back to Ward 3. We need stable, predictable taxes to make that happen and ensure our community thrives.

Municipal government often requires balancing competing interests and difficult budget decisions. How would you approach making tough decisions at City Hall?

My professional background revolves around solving complex problems and finding efficiencies. I know how to cut through the bureaucratic noise to find the truth. I believe we can achieve those exact same results at City Hall, but it requires a fundamental shift in how we govern.

I approach difficult decisions by looking at the hard data, but numbers alone don't tell the whole story. I listen to the real stakeholders. That means you, my neighbours. We have to balance the ledger while remembering that every single tax dollar we spend comes from a taxpayer working hard to make ends meet. I will approach every decision with fierce transparency and an objective mindset. My votes will be based on verifiable facts, strict adherence to what is best for our neighbourhoods, and a firm commitment to protecting our frontline workers while cutting the waste.

We do not have to accept the status quo of runaway spending and broken promises. If we ground our choices in the truth and bring everyday voices back to the council table, we can build a Hamilton that is affordable, accountable, and vibrant.

What experience, skills, or perspective do you bring that distinguishes you from other candidates seeking the same council seat?

Over the last few years, I have had great opportunities to work with so many of my neighbours on the real issues facing our Ward 3 community. Together, we have proven just how effective we can be while working outside City Hall.

In my private sector career, I work as a data and compliance analyst. This entails auditing large corporations to ensure they are following policies, regulations, and laws, as well as working with large datasets to identify problems and build solutions. Much of my career has been spent defining, deploying, and measuring processes to help large organizations succeed and measurably improve. I believe these skills can help City Hall get back on track.

In our community, I took on the fight against negligent property owners. I successfully pushed to get the three abandoned buildings backing onto Memorial School on Ottawa Street demolished, holding the city accountable for a decade of inaction right beside where our kids learn. I have consistently put in the work around the neighbourhood on volunteer cleanups and community fundraising events. I pride myself on being a neighbour who shows up when you really need a hand.

I sit on the Hamilton Police Service Division 20 Superintendent's committee, working as a liaison between my neighbours across several wards and the Hamilton Police. I am a strong believer in collaboration, finding common ground, and working together. I have delegated at City Hall more times than I can count, always focusing on progress, taxpayer respect, and demanding true transparency from our elected officials so our city can thrive.

We have already done the heavy lifting from the outside. If we take that same grassroots energy, pair it with real professional rigor, and bring it directly to the council table, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. Together, we can build the vibrant, accountable, and forward-thinking Ward 3 that our families deserve.

What is the best way for voters to contact you and/or learn more about you?

I have had the pleasure of having so many good conversations about the issues with new friends and neighbours while out walking here in Ward 3. I always encourage a friendly discussion, so say hello if we happen to run into each other.

To learn more, you can visit my campaign website at voteandrewselman.com (coming soon). You can also email me directly at AndrewSelmanWard3@gmail.com, or follow me on Instagram at @andrewselman.

If you would like to support a fresh approach in Ward 3, you can donate to my campaign here. Any amount helps and is greatly appreciated.

Otherwise, I hope to catch you at the door when I am out knocking and talking with my Ward 3 neighbours about the issues that matter to our community.

Thank-you Andrew for engaging with Hamiltonians on The Hamiltonian!