Before the Ballot- The Candidate's Guide- Building a Winning Ground Game

This article is part of The Hamiltonian’s ongoing “Before the Ballot: The Candidate’s Guide” series examining the realities, strategies, and challenges of municipal election campaigns.

Signs don’t vote. Social media doesn’t vote. Endorsements don’t vote.

People vote.

Candidates who understand that simple reality often outperform campaigns with larger budgets, bigger signs, and more online attention. A campaign’s “ground game” refers to the direct voter contact operation that connects candidates with residents throughout the election. It is often the single most important factor separating successful campaigns from unsuccessful ones.

What Is a Ground Game? A ground game is the organized effort to identify supporters, persuade undecided voters, and ensure supporters actually vote.

It includes:

• Door-to-door canvassing
• Telephone outreach
• Community events
• Volunteer recruitment
• Literature drops
• Voter identification
• Election day operations

At its core, a ground game is about relationships. People are more likely to vote for someone they have met, spoken with, or seen actively engaged in their community.

The Power of the Front Door. Nothing replaces face-to-face conversations. Despite advances in technology, door knocking remains one of the most effective campaign tools available. In fact, it would be an error assuming that because you are doing well on social media, that your followers will turn out for the vote. 

Residents frequently tell candidates: “You’re the first candidate who’s ever knocked on my door.” That simple interaction can leave a lasting impression. The purpose of canvassing is not to deliver a speech. It is to listen. The most successful candidates spend less time talking and more time asking questions.

What concerns you most? How do you feel about your neighbourhood? What would you like to see improved? These conversations often reveal issues that surveys and social media never uncover.

Start Early-Many first-time candidates underestimate the amount of territory they must cover.A ward with 40,000 residents can contain thousands of homes and hundreds of apartment units. Candidates who wait until the final weeks to begin canvassing often discover they cannot physically reach enough voters.

The strongest campaigns start months before election day. Every conversation builds name recognition. Every conversation builds trust. Every conversation builds momentum.

Volunteers Win Elections-No candidate can do everything alone. Successful campaigns recruit volunteers early and provide them with meaningful roles.

Volunteers can assist with:

• Canvassing
• Phone calls
• Literature delivery
• Event support
• Data entry
• Sign installation
• Election day operations

Many volunteers are looking for ways to contribute but are never asked. Sometimes the most effective recruitment strategy is simply extending a personal invitation.

Build a Voter Identification System. A campaign should know the difference between:

• Supporters
• Opponents
• Undecided voters

This process is called voter identification. Every conversation should generate information.

Supporter.
Lean supporter.
Undecided.
Lean opposition.
Opposition.

By election day, campaigns should have a clear picture of where support exists and where additional outreach is needed. Campaigns that fail to track voter information often waste valuable time revisiting people who have already made up their minds.

The Apartment Challenge

Many municipal campaigns focus heavily on single-family neighbourhoods while overlooking apartment buildings and condominiums. This can be a costly mistake. Large residential buildings often contain hundreds of potential voters behind a single entrance.

Candidates should develop strategies to connect with apartment residents through building meetings, common areas, community events, mailings, and authorized canvassing opportunities. Some elections have been decided by margins smaller than the population of a single apartment building.

Election Day Begins Long Before Election Day. Many candidates believe election day is when the campaign reaches its peak. In reality, election day preparation begins months earlier.

Campaigns should know:

• Who their supporters are
• How to contact them
• Whether they require transportation
• Whether they have already voted

The objective is simple. Make it easy for supporters to vote. The campaign that identifies supporters but fails to get them to the polls may lose to a campaign with fewer supporters but better organization.

Don’t Ignore Community Events

Festivals.
Barbecues.
Neighbourhood meetings.
Charity events.
Cultural celebrations.
Business gatherings.

Community events provide valuable opportunities to meet residents in a relaxed environment. People often remember a genuine conversation at a local event long after they have forgotten a campaign flyer.

Visibility matters. Consistency matters. Authenticity matters.

The Biggest Mistake Candidates Make .Many campaigns become obsessed with signs. Signs create visibility, but visibility is not the same as support.

A lawn sign does not guarantee a vote. A conversation creates a relationship. When resources are limited, campaigns should prioritize voter contact over cosmetic displays.

The strongest campaigns view signs as supporting tools—not the campaign itself.

Final Thoughts

Political campaigns are ultimately about people. The candidate who spends time listening, engaging, learning, and building relationships throughout the community develops something far more valuable than name recognition.

They develop trust. And trust remains one of the most powerful currencies in politics. Because when voters enter the voting booth, they are not choosing a sign.

They are choosing a person.

Before the Ballot- With Ward 4 Councillor Candidate Jason Farr

Welcome to this instalment of Before the Ballot with Ward 4 Councillor Candidate Jason Farr.

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

I’ve interacted daily in Ward 4 throughout my life, and for the most part, fellow residents have received the kind of local government leadership they expect and deserve. But during the current term of council I have consistently heard from dissatisfied residents and business operators. Very real concerns on affordability and how the current councillor always votes in favour of raising taxes at record rates (well beyond inflation and more than double annual property tax increase averages in the last 40 years). Many of these residents are already struggling to keep up during an affordability crisis. A crisis that their current Councillor officially recognized through an early council motion, yet she continued to develop or support tax and spend initiatives without proper scrutiny or a willingness to concede a lack of benefit or the financial challenges felt by constituents.

It had become very clear from the onset of this council term that the current ward 4 Councillor was joined at the hip with a mayor and majority of council that has hired an unprecedented approximately 1000 new City of Hamilton staff in less than four years, spent hundreds-of-millions of local tax dollars on policy and projects that are normally the responsibility of Provincial and Federal governments and failed to bring tangible improvements to Ward 4. There’s never a good time for this sort of unaccountable and fiscally irresponsible leadership, but it’s particularly discouraging when so many residents of Ward 4 (families, seniors, young couples and those on fixed lower incomes) are struggling to get through the Metro check-out line or the U-Plus gas bar.

I relate with these residents and with my previous council experience in our inner-city, I can put a stop to it and bring confidence back to Ward 4 residents. It is critical that residents have someone with experience and a proven and documented track record of better fiscal management, smarter municipal investments and stronger public engagement.

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?

#1 - Affordability: The first step is to stop the tax and spend ways of the current council on day one of the new term. I’ve been watching council closely for more than 40 years and never have seen anything remotely close to this level of needless spending of our money.

One example: the current Ward 4 Councillor started the term with a motion where she claimed “we need to be bold” and so without warning or constituency consult, moved to expedite a 30 year Cycling Master Plan at a cost of approximately 65-million-dollars. This one unbudgeted amount represents an approximate 4.5% hit to the local levy (to the local taxpayers). 4.5% also happens to be just a little shy of the unprecedented average annual tax increases (5.3%) residents have endured for the last four years and in stark contrast to the decades of inflationary increases of approximately 2.5%.

Cycling infrastructure is important for many proven health and sustainability reasons and I was proud to build up more than 22 kms in the core over my time, but much of that was with the assistance of residents (thousands), non-levy dollars and provincial grants. Much of our work was guided by our well thought out, studied and approved Cycling Master Plan that did have an approximate 65-million-dollar cost, but spread over 30 years with capital investments made only as the plan succeeds (investments based on increased use over time). Expediting a well crafted master plan serves as an example of poor fiscal management and for many, it feels like a very expensive pet project that carried a price-tag we could not afford. This move failed to adhere to the master-plan guidelines and proved to be one of the first (of unfortunately many) costly motions since that have that “no problem, we’ll just get the taxpayers to fund it” vibe.

The current Ward 4 Councillor has also supported depleting reserves to fund such projects and off-set what would be even greater hits to the local levy. More on that problem and how this current council practice has downgraded our City or Hamilton credit rating and made funding of future unanticipated eventualities potentially very tricky.

#2 - Infrastructure Improvements: With few exceptions, it appears Infrastructure renewal has not been prioritized throughout this current term of Council.

Ward 4 had a significant road and sidewalk champion in long-time Councillor, Sam Merulla. As an example, following a major east end flooding disaster, he managed to leverage millions to upgrade a large portion of local and arterial roads. But even before and after that event, the Councillor was aware of the need to maintain and improve existing infrastructure.

Take a trip under the south-side Kenilworth Rail Bridge today and note that startling example of what occurs when we do not appreciate the need to stay on top of repairs. Same goes for the long and weedy grass at Mahoney Park to start this baseball season and various levels of decay and neglect on some of our major walkways (like Kenilworth or Barton) or large retaining walls around the Red Hill Valley Parkway laden with gang tagging and graffiti.

These are very noticeable deteriorating conditions all while the current Councillor declares your taxes are historically high because “we are making up for lack of investment from previous councils.” If this is the case, would we not have noticed all the improvements? Also, the previous councils I’ve been associated with only increased (never decreased) services for over a decade and still managed to keep tax increases manageable at 2.5% and NOT 5.3%. This is documented fact. As for our reserves, prior to this council, we also made certain that reserves were at a healthy state which improved our credit rating. The current council took buckets of those reserves (approximately 170-million-dollars) and splashed those dollars toward even more spending and not surprisingly, our credit rating has fallen sharply.

I was born and raised in Ward 4. It’s where I attended grade-school (Queen Mary) and high-school (Delta). This where I took the b-line to McMaster and back. Where with the assistance and support of hundreds of East-Enders, pulled off four years of successful TV/Radio stunts at Centre Mall in support of the Kiwanis Camp Maple Leaf campaign. Ward 4 is home to our family bank, doctor, mechanic, where we grocery shop, visit friends and family, fund-raise, buy clothes, dine, walk, ride and drive. Engaging daily in Ward 4, it has become abundantly clear that residents expect to see improvements that their hard-earned tax-dollars fund, especially when they have been paying hundreds of dollars more than average annually over the last four years.

#3 - Lacklustre resident engagement:
From my experience, quality engagement with constituents comes in many forms. From stop and chats throughout the Ward as we go about our day to day business, to well organized town-hall type meetings with professional staff and held in facilities that may accommodate greater numbers. Increasingly, online engagement is also helpful and an elected official should never block users for comments that may not fit their message or narrative. What is lacking in Ward 4 appears to be a sense of how public engagement should work (residents and businesses comes first) verses public engagement as a means to deliver predetermined initiatives especially when a large number of residents and businesses may be directly impacted.

As an example, the current councillor held a meeting last year that dictated to those concerned constituents who attended a plan to build housing on a nearby city-owned site. The councillor called for and attended the meeting (strangely bringing along City of Hamilton Security Staff) telling all that this project is happening - constituents were left wondering why the meeting was billed as an input session. The project is admirable, but from the feedback I’ve heard since from those who attended, the area deserved to have a say, and if they were provided the opportunity, many in attendance may have suggested that with over 2000 city-own properties, it would have been better to choose a location that didn’t potentially disrupt an area long-slated for rejuvenation (Kenilworth) which has over this term been stalled out and neglected.

One of the most satisfying annual engagement exercises I proudly initiated in the past was called Participatory Budgeting and it featured capital project ideas direct from the residents, listed and voted on by residents, then budgeted through the Ward Area Rating Capital Reserve funds. In this process, the Councillor stands back and lets the people lead the way in deciding on what their tax-dollars should go toward in their communities. We achieved this on four separate occasions and residents came up with over 4-million-dollars of capital improvements. Participatory Budgeting would offer Ward 4 residents, businesses and community groups not only an opportunity to demonstrate what is possible when they themselves are truly engaging, but to actually install projects that most of us are behind. Everyone is welcome in Participatory Budgeting. I will be welcoming input on this process throughout the campaign.

Ward 4 residents didn’t see any of this form of engagement over the last four years. As it relates to the budget table at City Hall, among what was regularly witnessed was a drastically shortened and discombobulated process. During an affordability crisis at a time when budgets should be a critical focus, your current councillor supported less meetings, shorter meeting times leading to dramatically reduced budget sessions.

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

First and foremost I would pledge to maintain a pragmatic approach to governing with every decision. Difficult decisions come to council often. It is part of the job and while it may not be for everyone (it is important to manage stress and be respectful of your colleagues) it is an area I feel comfortable in. 12 years as an inner-city Councillor and it really comes down to doing the work. There are always going to be implications to decisions made by council. Every decision deserves proper scrutiny and study. Sadly, this is an area where it has become clear that we need much less councillors supporting costly outcomes resulting from projects or policies born from rigid theories or ideology or even feelings over facts that are often too narrowly focussed.

Around the City Council Chambers and with day to day interactions with Ward 4 constituents, my priority will be to understand what makes sense. What we can afford verses what we cannot afford. Are a significant amount of residents benefitting? Are we safer and more secure? Do decisions correspond with the desires of not just those who elected me, but all constituents? How can we make this better?

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

I “experience” Ward 4 every day. I do not live on the south mountain near Rymal Road (like the current Ward 4 Councillor) or on Stoney Creek Mountain. I experience Ward 4 as a resident currently on the western border in Ward 3 and who grew up on Ellis Avenue. I believe this significantly distinguishes me from other candidates. In short, we see each other around the neighbourhood(s) often. How often do run into your current councillor?

As indicated, I have 12 years (three terms) of previous Council experience (2010-2022). I was fortunate to have worked with some amazing residents, business leaders and colleagues representing Ward 2 / Downtown in creating an era where our investments translated to an historic and well documented upward trajectory, smashing investment records, winning significant urban renewal improvement awards, consistently receiving positive national news attention and nationally recognized for our Downtown Secondary Plan. I am well experienced on not only what we need to do preserve and enhance inner-city neighbourhoods, but also how to make it happen. Affordably.

From my perspective, Ward 4 deserves this experience. Residents and business people expect exceptional service from a local councillor who operates with a pragmatic approach where everyone counts. And is accessible at all times.

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

Follow of Facebook and email Farrfor4@gmail.com

Thank you Jason for engaging with Hamiltonians on The Hamiltonian!

Data Centres Are Coming to Hamilton. Is City Hall Ready?

Hamilton is on the verge of becoming part of one of the biggest economic transformations of the modern era.

Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital research, and data storage are driving unprecedented demand for data centres across North America. Communities that once competed for factories, warehouses, and office towers are now competing for server farms, computing infrastructure, and digital campuses.

The question facing Hamilton is not whether data centres are coming.The question is whether Hamilton has a plan.

Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann is expected to introduce a motion asking city staff to develop a framework for how Hamilton should approach data centre development. Her motion comes amid growing public concern surrounding a proposed data centre campus at Steelport, the former Stelco lands on Hamilton's industrial waterfront.

At first glance, the motion appears reasonable.

Few residents would argue against transparency, public consultation, or establishing clear planning guidelines before a new industry arrives at scale. If Hamilton is to host major data centres, residents deserve to know what the environmental, energy, water, noise, and infrastructure implications may be.

However, there is another side to this conversation that deserves equal attention. Data centres are becoming as essential to the modern economy as railways were in the nineteenth century and highways were in the twentieth.

Every email, banking transaction, medical record, online purchase, video stream, and artificial intelligence application depends upon digital infrastructure. The countries and cities that successfully attract this infrastructure may find themselves positioned at the centre of future economic growth.

The proposed Steelport project carries an added dimension. According to presentations made by proponents, the goal is to secure federal funding through Canada's AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program and potentially establish the country's first publicly owned AI research facility. Such a project could support Canadian universities, researchers, and innovation initiatives while creating a new technology presence in Hamilton.

That possibility should not be dismissed lightly. At the same time, neither should public concerns.

Around the world, large-scale data centres have attracted criticism over their substantial electricity requirements, cooling demands, water consumption, noise generation, and land use impacts. Some jurisdictions have struggled to balance economic benefits against environmental and community concerns.

Residents are therefore justified in asking difficult questions.

How much electricity would such facilities require? Would local residents bear any indirect costs? What environmental safeguards would be imposed? How much water would be consumed? What would happen during periods of peak energy demand? Would there be meaningful employment opportunities, or would Hamilton simply become home to rows of servers serving markets elsewhere?

These are not anti-technology questions but are  responsible public policy questions.

Councillor Nann has stated that she opposes "AI mega data centres as they currently exist and operate." While some residents may share that view, others may believe Hamilton should aggressively pursue emerging technology investments. This is precisely why a public framework is needed. A framework should not become a mechanism for automatically rejecting projects. Nor should it become a rubber stamp. Rather, it should establish clear expectations and objective standards so that residents, developers, elected officials, and investors all understand the rules before applications are submitted. The larger challenge for Hamilton is striking the right balance.

The city cannot afford to be naïve about the environmental and infrastructure demands associated with data centres. But neither can it afford to reflexively turn away investment opportunities that may shape the economy of the next generation.

Hamilton has spent decades working to diversify beyond its traditional industrial roots. If the city hopes to become a leader in advanced manufacturing, research, technology, and innovation, it must be prepared to have difficult conversations about the infrastructure those industries require.

Data centres may not be as visible as factories or as popular as parks. But they are rapidly becoming the backbone of the digital world.

The debate now unfolding at City Hall is  about what kind of city Hamilton wants to become.

The public deserves transparency. Investors deserve certainty.

And Hamiltons deserve a thoughtful conversation based on facts rather than fear.

The Hamiltonian

Before the Ballot- with Ward 8 Councillor Candidate Jacob Tenbrinke

Welcome to this instalment of Before the Ballot- with Ward 8 Councillor Candidate Jacob Tenbrinke

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 running because I love this community, and I honestly believe people in Ward 8 deserve leadership that’s grounded, present, and focused on serving residents — not building a political career like some people. My family has lived on Hamilton Mountain for generations. My grandparents came here from the Netherlands after the war and built a life in Ward 8 through hard work and sacrifice.

I was born and raised here, and like many families, we had our struggles. There were times we lived paycheque to paycheque and relied on food banks. Those experiences stay with you.

What I hear from residents today is that people feel squeezed. The cost of living keeps rising, housing feels out of reach for young families, homelessness is growing, and many people feel City Hall has stopped listening.

I think people are looking for leadership that understands real life again. Not slogans. Not ideology. Just honest leadership that shows up, listens, and works hard. That’s why I’m running, and that’s why I believe now is the right time for new leadership.

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?

The biggest issues I hear about every day are affordability, homelessness, and community safety.

First, affordability. People are working hard but falling behind. Families are struggling with taxes, rising costs, and housing prices that no longer feel realistic. We need to start respecting taxpayer dollars again and focus City Hall on core services and responsible spending. I also want to support more practical housing solutions so young people and working families can afford to stay in Hamilton. I can't think of anything worse than people who grew up here in Hamilton saying that I can't afford to live here.

Second, homelessness. People want compassionate solutions, but they also want action and accountability. Leaving people suffering on the streets is not compassion. We need better coordination between housing, addiction treatment, mental health support, and public safety so we actually help people rebuild stability while also protecting neighbourhoods and public spaces. Caring is not being content with letting people live in tents in public spaces

Third, community safety. Residents want to feel safe walking in their neighbourhoods, using parks, and letting their kids play outside. My military background taught me that safe communities don’t happen by accident. They require leadership, prevention, coordination, and follow-through. We need stronger partnerships between the city, community organizations, and emergency services to address safety concerns before they become bigger problems. At the end of the day, I want Ward 8 to be a place where families can thrive again, not just get by.

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

I think people understand that not every decision is easy. What frustrates residents is when decisions feel

Before the Ballot- with Ward 13 Councillor Candidate Rick Kunc

Welcome to this instalment of Before the Ballot- featuring Ward 13 Candidate Rick Kunc.

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

After retiring from a 30-year career in educational leadership, I felt strongly that it was time to give back to the community that has given so much to me and my family.

I was raised here, I raised my family here, and for more than five decades I’ve seen firsthand what makes Ward 13 such a special place to live. Community matters here. Whether it’s Dundas, Greensville, Rockton, Freelton or the rural communities across the ward, people care deeply about where they live and want to see it thrive.

Municipal government is the level of government that touches our lives most directly. We feel the decisions made at City Hall every single day - in our roads, our taxes, our recreation facilities, our infrastructure, and the services we rely on.

Over the past year, I’ve spent a great deal of time listening to residents in coffee shops, arenas, parks, restaurants and community events. What I’ve heard consistently is that people want to be heard, they want accountable leadership, and they want someone who will listen, learn and act. I believe now is the right time for leadership that is connected to the community, grounded in collaboration, and focused on practical solutions that strengthen Ward 13 and Hamilton as a whole.

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?

Ward 13 is one of the largest wards geographically in Hamilton, with very diverse communities and priorities across more than 25 square kilometres.

This past year I have taken the time to truly listen to what residents have been saying. Speaking with

Before the Ballot- with Ward 3 Councillor Candidate Graham Schreiber

Welcome to this instalment of Before the Ballot- featuring Ward 3 Candidate Graham Schreiber.

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

Economics, the reckless spending and disregard for taxpayers, as the city favors the wayward over those who are invested in safe, beautiful communities, for our families.

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?

The narcotics traffickers at both ends of my street,

The frequency of Police & EMS attending to people who should be in either prison, or safe and rural mental health facilities.

The incompetence of Bylaw enforcement, to get Renters & Slumlords to keep their properties attractive and maintained.

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

I've owned a business, and you don't squander money.

City Hall are tax & spend, oblivious to the pains of those paying, so I'd focus on the Safety of residents