Candidates debate defunding police

With one exception, all Ward 14 hopefuls are against cuts to the police service budget

As far as most Ward 14 candidates are concerned, Hamilton’s police budget is sacrosanct. They won’t trim a cent from it.

Except for Kojo Damptey, who said that every dollar the city spends can be put under a microscope.

“Every budget item is up for debate,” said Damptey during a Cable 14-Spectator debate on Sept. 22. “That includes police.”

Six of the seven ward candidates attended the debate, which circled back time and again to a singular issue — should Hamilton defund the police?

Damptey, the former executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, has advocated for reallocating police budget funds to groups and projects that would be more beneficial to the community, including combating a raise in hate crime incidents.

“If elected councillor, I would ask that excess funds that (go) to policing … be invested into the community safety and well-being plan to address hate crimes, housing, substance use and mental health in our city,” he said.

The others, however, said education and “zero tolerance” are the ways to combat hate crime and said the Hamilton Police Service needs more officers.

HPS “is presently understaffed by 122 officers compared to other communities our size. With crime in our city on the rise, including recent attacks on women on trails in and around Ward 14, we know that defunding the police isn’t the answer,” said Brian Lewis, a founding member of the mayor’s race relations committee.

The field of candidates is varied, including political newcomers like Damptey, hopefuls like Mike Spadafora — a former Progressive Conservative candidate who was defeated in the last provincial election — and former council veterans like Don Ross. Colleen Wicken was a former staffer for outgoing and controversial councillor Terry Whitehead, and Christine Seketa is a former radio journalist.

Candidate Christopher Poole did not attend the debate.

The candidates were also asked about the behaviour of Whitehead, whose pay was docked for 30 days in November by the city’s integrity commissioner for having bullied and harassed municipal staff. Last year, the longtime Ward 14 councillor spent months on sick leave for an illness he has described as affecting his cognitive skills. He has also spoken of an “incurable problem” that led to mental-health issues, including depression and anxiety, but has not shared his diagnosis.

The candidates all wished Whitehead well, did not comment on his conduct and, with the exception of Dampety, praised his lengthy tenure as a councillor for the ward. All promised to behave respectfully if elected to council.