Kojo Damptey

Two city-wide priorities, and how to achieve them

• Respond to concerns about property tax increases: stricter financial controls, a catalogue of how the City spends money, and criteria for when council hires consultants (he cites $50,000 spent on a consultant for the Board of Health restructuring). He floats capping property taxes for a term for seniors aged about 70 who have paid for decades.
• Address homelessness with transitional housing and a range of housing types, including rent-geared-to-income and co-operative housing; he points to his work on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.

Two changes to improve City services

• Respond to residents promptly (even an acknowledgement with a timeline), and run his own office that way.
• Set benchmarks for services so residents can gauge them and give feedback.

Two changes to improve quality of life in Hamilton

• Use the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (homelessness, access to money, mental health, poverty, hate incidents) as the vehicle for improving quality of life.
• Improve City services so residents feel the difference.

Two priorities for Ward 14

• Resident engagement and communication: neighbourhood councils in each of Ward 14’s nine neighbourhoods to set priorities and give feedback.
• A public library for Ward 14, which he says is the only ward without one.

Three words for a four-year term (looking back from September 2030)

Collaborative, innovative, hardworking.