Thread by @CameronKroetsch

Well, #HamOnt, it's still sinking in, but we really did do it. I'm Councillor-Elect for Ward 2, and I'm really excited about it! I have a lot to share, but I wanted to start from a place of gratitude, and a bit of honesty, about what this result does and doesn't mean.

That picture was taken before our party got going by Lauren who, for 2 elections, has taken on organizing our celebration for Election Day. She is one of hundreds of people who have helped with our campaigns, and I am beyond grateful for every single person who showed up.

Our core campaign team has been meeting to talk about the election for a year. A year. These people gave up so much time to make this happen and I'm not going to let them down. They mean the world to me and I hope I can repay their generosity in time.

Look, queer neurodivergent folks just don't win very much. At least, that was my experience until last night. But the people who surrounded our campaign with love never made me feel a bit of that, and, honestly, I credit their support for this win. They made this happen.

I also don't think folks realize how much it meant to me to be able to address folks at the Friday prayer at the @Downtownmosque, to be asked to speak at @TheHubHamilton on Overdose Awareness Day, or to be invited by @keepingsix to attend their regular drop-in.

I'm not a retail politician. I don't do well with speeches and I don't relish getting in front of crowds. I didn't study political science and I don't come to this work from years of experience as a member of a party. So, this is a bit disphoric, even if beautiful.

I don't say any of that cynically. Like, please, study political science and join parties. But I spent a decade studying poetry, literature, and ancient languages, in part, because I like the solitude of the written word. It's been hard to translate one into the other.

Thank you, too, to @sabreina_dahab, @AhonaMehdi, and @EasyThePianoMan for sharing so much with me over this election. I felt that we really were working together, even if we weren't a "slate". We just did what we could to support one another. It matters and I hope we do it again.

I know what it feels like to lose an election after pouring your heart into it. I will be here to do any and everything I can to help you win if you decide to run again and to support your future work. No, that's not what you should be thinking about now, but I really mean it.

I also really appreciate every single person who saw something in me that made them mark a tiny black dot beside my name. Thank you. It's humbling and I hope you each know that I feel and see the love.

But, I think it's important to say that while I'm happy to have won definitively, our electoral system did not deliver a just result yesterday. I'm not going to stand on the shoulders of its flaws and scream victory. Voter turnout was down in Ward 2 from 36% to 32%.

I'm not happy about that. I acknowledge that I was only elected by 16% of those eligible to vote and that not nearly enough people are even eligible to vote. I am committed to doing something about that, with whatever power I have, and with whomever wants to collaborate.

And, yes, I am miffed about some things, and I'll talk about those too, in time. But, for now, we pick up signs, we make plans to start off on the right foot, and we do better. Why? Because our city deserves it. Excited to get to work!