The 2006 Hamilton municipal election was held on November 13, 2006, to elect municipal officials in Hamilton, Ontario. Touted by pundits as being one of the closest mayoral races in Hamilton history, the incumbent Larry Di Ianni was defeated by a margin of 452 votes by Fred Eisenberger.
Mayoral Election
Candidates
Iridology partitioner Diane Elms
Fringe candidate Steve Leach
Joke candidate Martin Zuliniak
Michael Baldasaro: Leader of the Church of the Universe and a perennial candidate for office, running for Parliament in 1984, 2000 and 2004, Ward 2 Councillor in 2004 and Mayor for Hamilton on numerous occasions. His campaign was centered on legalization of marijuana, but he also supported demalgimation and keeping City Hall in Jackson Square. Larry Di Ianni: Incumbent Mayor of Hamilton. He was involved in a scandal involving his 2003 election campaign and was subsequently charged with violating the Municipal Elections Act. This turned many Hamiltonians against him and was cited as one of the reasons for his defeat. Fred Eisenberger: Former Ward 5 city councillor and chairman of the Hamilton Port Authority. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2000, finishing third behind Bob Wade and Bob Morrow. Diane Elms: An iridology practitioner who ran a reform campaign, centered around fiscal mismanagement and lack of voter participation. She also stated that, if elected mayor, she would ask in Jesus' name, for God to forgive all those who misused their authority. Gino Speziale: A tool and dye maker who ran a very small campaign. At most debates, people found that he supported Ms. Elms a majority of the time. Steve Leach: An unknown candidate. The Hamilton Spectator poked fun at his lack of involvement in an editorial cartoon and commented "Steve Leach is so fringe, he's out of sight." Martin Zuliniak: A pseudo-joke candidate who associated himself with the Rhinoceros Party, but had a non-joke platform of lower taxes, de-amalgamation and tourism promotion.
Barber Tony Greco presented himself as the establishment to McHattie, and picked up support from political fixtures such as former Hamilton regional chairman Terry Cooke.
Developer Fred Spencer, called the race an "eye-opener" and lamented the lack of student involvement.
Ward Two (Downtown)
Bob Bratina, the incumbent councillor with only two years on council after winning a 2004 by-election, focused this campaign on transparency, increased policing and improved Via Rail service in the city.
Judy MacDonald-Musitano, who also ran in the 2004 by-election, held as her campaign principles the enforcement of a mandatory balanced budget, improved affordable transit and removal of parking meters in the downtown core.
Dawn Lescaudron was a first-time candidate, and did not interact with local media for the duration of the campaign.
Haider Shaikh promoted lower taxes, increased infrastructure spending and attracting new investment.
