Phil Collins was not writing about municipal politics when he penned those famous lyrics, but they capture something that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore in Hamilton's 2026 municipal election.
Something is changing.
For decades, a familiar script has guided many municipal campaigns.
The conventional wisdom went something like this: Summer is quiet. Voters are distracted. Campaigns can wait. Incumbents can afford to take their time. Serious campaigning begins after Labour Day, when people return from vacations and begin paying attention.
The assumption was simple. Wait until September. Secure media coverage. Roll out the platform. Attend debates. Let the campaign begin.
But there are growing signs that this script may no longer be reliable.
The first sign is early registration.
Across Hamilton, candidates are entering races earlier than many observers would typically expect. Early registration is more than an administrative act. It signals intent. It signals commitment. Most importantly, it signals hunger.
The second sign is participation.
An overwhelming majority of candidates invited to participate in The Hamiltonian's Before the Ballot series have accepted. Candidates are not waiting for election season. They are stepping forward now to answer questions, explain their priorities, and place their ideas before voters.
The third sign is visibility.
Consider the mayoral race.
Mayoral candidate Keanin Loomis has been highly visible, attending community events, meeting residents, participating in discussions, and steadily building his presence across the city.
Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Scarlett Gillespie has demonstrated an ability to penetrate social media conversations, attract attention, and inspire discussions.
At the same time, mayoral candidate Sasha Austin has sought to reshape the conversation by publicly challenging both Loomis and fellow candidate Rob Cooper to debate, signaling that some candidates are not prepared to wait for the traditional campaign calendar before testing their ideas in public.
Nor are these the only examples.
Across Hamilton's wards, candidates are engaging , introducing themselves to voters, and building support long before many would traditionally consider campaign season to have begun.
Some are doing so quietly. Others more visibly. But they are doing it.
And perhaps that is the most important point. This is not about any one candidate. It is about a broader shift.
Perhaps the most telling sign of all is the public response.
The level of interest being generated around local politics is unmistakable. The Hamiltonian's readership numbers are climbing. Social media discussions are expanding. Conversations sparked by the Before the Ballot candidate interviews are spreading well beyond the original articles.
What is particularly noteworthy is not simply the volume of engagement, but its quality.
Yes, there are still occasional comments driven more by emotion than analysis. Every election has them.
But increasingly, Hamiltonians are asking thoughtful questions. They are comparing visions. They are challenging assumptions. They are examining records. They are debating ideas rather than personalities. And even through the glorious weather we have been enjoying , people are engaging.
Further, The Hamiltonian's Before the Ballot- The Candidates' Guide seeks to provide invaluable advice to anyone running.
There is an energy building.
There is curiosity.
There is scrutiny.
There is accountability.
And there is a growing realization that voters no longer need to wait for traditional campaign season to begin learning about those who seek to govern them.
The information is already available. The conversations have already started. The campaign, in many respects, is already underway. That should give pause to anyone relying on the old assumptions.
The candidate who believes nobody is paying attention until September may discover that voters have been paying attention all summer and have checked them out of the conversation.
The incumbent who assumes name recognition alone will carry the day may discover that voters are looking more closely than ever before.
The campaign that waits for the traditional starting gun may find that the race has already left the starting line.
History has a habit of changing gradually and then suddenly.
Perhaps that is what we are witnessing now.
Perhaps Hamilton is entering a new era of municipal politics—one where engagement starts earlier, scrutiny runs deeper, and voters expect more from those seeking their trust. Perhaps The Before the Ballot series is more telling than anticipated.
If so, the old playbook may not merely be outdated.
It may be obsolete.
100% correct
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