Hamilton Mayoral Candidate: Solomon Ikhuiwu

Ikhuiwu details his mayoral platform, focusing on the housing crisis and the importance of unity

The Silhouette sat down with mayoral candidate Solomon Ikhuiwu to discuss his platform and experience running in the upcoming municipal election. 

An evangelical preacher, trained paralegal and author, Ikhuiwu is a candidate in Hamilton’s mayoral race who is excited about unifying the city and advocating for its residents.  

Ikhuiwu outlined the four key pillars of his platform as integrity, affordability, environment and community. Practically, the issues Ikhuiwu highlighted as being central to his platform are addressing the housing crisis and unifying the city. 

In particular, Ikhuiwu identified housing as being one of the most important issues in this election. In the past he has donated clothing to unhoused residents of Hamilton, cleaned up parts of the city for them and spent a lot of time talking to them. He expressed that these experiences have driven him to prioritize the housing crisis in his platform.  

"Winter is coming and [unhoused people] don't have a place they can call home and many of them complain that the shelter system is worse than prison,” said Ikhuiwu.  

Ikhuiwu did not provide more details regarding his plan to address the housing crisis. In their article, CBC Hamilton noted his platform also includes developing transition programs for unhoused folks. 

In terms of unifying the city, Ikhuiwu spoke about hoping to increase collaboration between different parts of the city. He did not provide further details on how this unity would be achieved.  

Ikhuiwu did, however, speak about his desire to be an accessible and open mayor. Despite not having prior political experience, he believes his experiences as an author and a preacher have given him the ability to connect with many people and help them with the different circumstances of their lives, making him well-equipped for the job of mayor. 

“Let me clarify that I'm not a politician. I represent the everyday, hard-working people,” said Ikhuiwu.  

Finally, Ikhuiwu emphasized the importance of the student vote in this election, emphasizing that student voices matter for the path of the city. He also urged students to give Hamilton a chance, rather than rushing to leave the city upon completing their degrees.  

"[Students] tell me things like I can't wait to leave the city of Hamilton, I can't wait to move somewhere else, I can't wait to take my talents to a different place because we don't want to be a part of [this city]. So, my plea to the students is: be patient with city hall. Be patient. I'm bringing change. Give us a second chance,” said Ikhuiwu.  

Solomon Ikhuiwu is running for mayor in the Oct. 2022 municipal election. His candidate profile has be posted as part of a series the Silhouette is running to build student awareness about the municipal election. Candidate profiles will continue to be posted in alphabetical order over the next few weeks. Election Day is Oct. 24 and more details on how to vote can be found here.