Edmonton city councillor Sarah Hamilton announces she will not run for re-election

Edmonton city councillor Sarah Hamilton announced she will not be running in the 2025 municipal election in October.

After two terms on council, councillor Hamilton is taking some time away from politics to focus on family.

“I had my son in 2021, in the midst of a re-election campaign, I got married to my husband over the course of my career as a councillor, I have not been a mom outside of public office, so I’m looking forward to more of a private life,” said Hamilton.

Hamliton is not ruling out a future in politics but doesn’t expect to make any moves in the near future.

Hamilton was first elected in 2017,  she  was only one of two women on council at the time – celebrating the fact there are now eight women – more than half – on current city council.

“When you know that it’s a really dynamic political environment – I learned really early on not to internalize some of that polarizing language – because it’s more of a reflection of what people are feeling about the state of things – and when you’re a leader – you can be a bit of a lightening rod for that,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton also doesn’t fully supports the addition of political parties in the next municipal election.

So far, only one party has officially been announced, and mayor candidate Tim Cartmell says he plans to run a slate.

Political experts expect Edmonton’s first party system election will be a battle between the left and right.

“The people on the political right have come out very strongly and established this pace party,” said Chaldeans Mensah, political scientist professor at Macewan University. “And I expect there will be a similar reaction on the political left. In the past, that left/right dynamic had been reflected in personalities.”

Councillor Hamilton expects the October municipal election, as well as the upcoming federal election, to be dominated by one topic.

“Public safety is a national issue, it’s a local issue as well, I think it’s an issue in every jurisdiction,” said Hamilton. “How candidates choose to address that will be interesting to see.”

Hamiltion isn’t the only long-time Edmonton councillor opting out of the next election. Earlier this year, Andrew Knack announced he would not run and in Calgary  six out of 14 incumbents have said they won’t run in 2025.