Waterloo Region Votes

City of Cambridge - Mayor

(Elect 1)

The mayor is the head of your local municipality (city or township) and sits on that council. The mayor also sits on Regional Council.

Local municipalities deal with issues such as public parks, fire departments, and building inspections. Read more on the Municipal Government Overview page.

Candidates

Election Results

Candidate

Votes

Scott Hamilton

17444

Ryan Bolender

7280

Jan Liggett

3473

Tony Chaves

1328

Ihtsham Haq

728

Ken Roche

448

Election Results

These are news items about how the election turned out.

Scott Hamilton wins mayoral race in Cambridge, ousting incumbent Jan Liggett, CBC, October 26, 2026.
Scott Hamilton elected the city's new mayor, Cambridge Today, October 26, 2026.

Debates and All Candidate Meeting Recordings

Debates and all-candidates meetings are interactive events where candidates running for a position answer rounds of questions. They allow you to compare candidates side by side, and are the most effective way to quickly compare candidates.

If you don’t have time to watch an entire recording, watch 2-3 rounds of questions in the middle of the meeting. Alternatively, you can listen to the audio of a debate like a podcast while walking or doing chores.

Cambridge mayoral candidates share their plans for transit and the LRT, CBC, October 8, 2026.
Cambridge Mayor All-Candidates Meeting, Cambridge Elects, September 24, 2026.

Questionnaires

Advocacy groups often publish questionnaires that allow you to compare candidates side by side. Pay careful attention to how questions are framed, and how this reflects the positions and philosophies of the advocacy groups.

ACB Network Questionnaire (underrepresented groups), African Caribbean Black Network Waterloo Region, October 22, 2026.
ACB Network Questionnaire (equity and reconcilation for Black and Indigenous people), African Caribbean Black Network Waterloo Region, October 22, 2026.
Citizens for Safe Groundwater Survey -- Regional Candidates, Citizens for Safe Groundwater, October 21, 2026.
Cambridge candidates share their top issues in this municipal election, CBC, October 20, 2026.
Cambridge municipal election: Meet the candidates, CTV, October 16, 2026.
CUPE 1883 Endorsements and Questionnaire Responses, CUPE 1883, October 15, 2026.
CycleWR Election Survey - Cambridge Mayor, CycleWR, October 6, 2026.
Housing, taxes and encampments take focus in Cambridge mayoral candidate Q&A, Cambridge Today, October 1, 2026.
TriTAG Election Survey - Cambridge Mayor, Tri-Cities Transport Action Group, September 29, 2026.
Vote Compass Candidate Alignment Tool, Waterloo Region Record and Vox Pop Labs, September 28, 2026.

Spectrum 2026 Election Survey - Cambridge Responses, Spectrum, September 28, 2026.
Strong Towns, WRYIMBY, and VisionWR Candidate Questionnaire - Cambridge Mayor, Strong Towns WR, September 14, 2026.
Late responses - Cambridge council and mayor, voice4.com, September 3, 2026.
City of Cambridge council responses, voice4.com, September 2, 2026.

Articles and News Items

Articles can highlight issues of importance to the election and the electorate. These items are (mostly) published by established news organizations.

More than 50 Kitchener candidates looking to guide a growing city, Waterloo Region Record, October 6, 2026.
How would Cambridge tackle homelessness? Mayoral candidates share their plans, Waterloo Region Record, September 29, 2026.
Keep it or change it? Cambridge mayoral candidates debate leaf collection, Waterloo Region Record, September 26, 2026.

Cambridge mayoral candidate investigation result on hold until after election, Waterloo Region Record, September 21, 2026.
Cambridge mayoral candidate under investigation for unpermitted street repair, Waterloo Region Record, September 11, 2026.
Cambridge mayoral candidate under investigation for unpermitted street repair, Waterloo Region Record, September 10, 2026.
Cambridge mayoral candidates weigh in on strong mayor powers ahead of vote, Cambridge Today, September 4, 2026.
Second candidate withdraws from Cambridge mayoral race, Waterloo Region Record, August 24, 2026.
Brian Kennedy Withdrawal Statement, Facebook, August 14, 2026.
Cambridge mayoral candidate Brian Kennedy steps out of race, Cambridge Today, August 13, 2026.
Kennedy exits Cambridge mayoral race, citing personal loss, Waterloo Region Record, August 13, 2026.

Candidate Profiles

Candidate profiles allow you to read responses from different candidates side by side. They allow you to compare candidates based on their backgrounds and experiences. Often they will not tell you how candidates would address specific issues.

Vote October 26: Ryan Bolender, Mayoral Candidate, Cambridge | Candidate Interview, Farwell Between Shows, October 21, 2026.
Meet The Candidate – Ken Roche, Cambridge candidate for Mayor, CKMS-FM, October 20, 2026.
Ontarians Against Corruption Analysis - Cambridge Mayors, Ontarians Against Corruption, September 26, 2026.

A regular person who wants to help:' Portuguese club president running for mayor, Cambridge Today, September 14, 2026.
Mayoral hopeful Ihtsham Haq says ‘a lot of people are afraid to talk’ in Cambridge, Waterloo Region Record, September 12, 2026.
‘I am not a politician’: Tony Chaves enters Cambridge mayoral race, Waterloo Region Record, September 9, 2026.
Ken Roche focuses on ‘budget-friendly’ approach in mayoral bid, Cambridge Times, September 2, 2026.
I can do it better:' blind registered massage therapist enters Cambridge mayoral race, Cambridge Today, August 25, 2026.
Shine Cambridge:' Fifth candidate enters Cambridge's mayoral race, Cambridge Today, August 11, 2026.
Liggett enters Cambridge mayoral race, Waterloo Region Record, August 4, 2026.
Ready for a fresh perspective:' Cambridge business owner makes it a four-way race for mayor, Cambridge Today, July 7, 2026.
Ryan Bolender joins Cambridge mayoral race, Waterloo Region Record, July 6, 2026.
Brian Kennedy steps down from BIA to run for Cambridge mayor, Cambridge Times, May 11, 2026.
We can turn the tide:' Jan Liggett seeking second term as mayor, Cambridge Today, May 6, 2026.
Change needs to be from the top down:' head of BIA announces mayoral bid, Cambridge Today, May 4, 2026.
Calm, careful, diplomatic, confident:' Scott Hamilton first to announce mayoral bid, Cambridge Today, May 1, 2026.
First to file: Scott Hamilton enters Cambridge mayoral race, Cambridge Times, May 1, 2026.

Opinions, Endorsements, and Group Discussions

Opinions, blog posts and discussions can be partisan, but sometimes can be helpful in bringing attention to election issues.

Sometimes discussions on forums like Reddit can give you a range of opinions about candidates and campaign issues.

Some opinions take the form of endorsement lists which explicitly recommend candidates to vote for. Again, be aware of the partisan nature of such endorsements, and carefully consider how the endorsers reached their conclusions. You will also want to look at our media inclusion philosophy page for information about what endorsements are officially allowed.

Scott Hamilton wins mayoral race in Cambridge, ousting incumbent Jan Liggett (discussion), Reddit, October 27, 2026.
TraceCivic aggregation site, TraceCivic, October 25, 2026.
Municipal Election Priorities 2026, Waterloo Regional Labour Council, October 21, 2026.
David Alton's Voter Guide - Cambridge, David Alton, October 14, 2026.

Waterloo Region ACORN Municipal Election Report Card , ACORN Waterloo Region, October 9, 2026.
Pledge for Palestine: Waterloo Region Votes 2026, Neighbours for Palestine: Waterloo Region, October 9, 2026.
Cambridge Mayoral Candidates, Reddit, October 9, 2026.
Municipal Election 2026: Some thoughts and resources for voting in this month’s elections, Citified, October 9, 2026.
De-Elect Mayor Liggett, FightBack KW, September 30, 2026.
Cambridge Municipal Election, Reddit, September 25, 2026.
Mayoral Race, Reddit, September 20, 2026.
Thoughts on this? Made it on CTVNews main page. Cambridge mayoral candidate under investigation for pothole repair video, Reddit, September 16, 2026.
A little-known candidate for mayor just turned into Robin Hood in a safety vest, Waterloo Region Record, September 14, 2026.
Cambridge voters have the clearest choice in this municipal election, Waterloo Region Record, August 27, 2026.
2026 Municipal Election Climate Candidate Pledge, ClimateActionWR, August 24, 2026.
We can turn the tide:' Jan Liggett seeking second term as mayor (Reddit discussion), Reddit, May 6, 2026.
First to file: Scott Hamilton enters Cambridge mayoral race (Reddit discussion), Reddit, May 1, 2026.