Hamilton’s Green party will have its first contested nomination meeting scheduled for next week.

Three people are vying to become the Hamilton Centre's candidate in the Oct. 21 election, in what party officials call “historic.”

The candidates are Jason Lopez, who ran for the party in the 2018 provincial election in Hamilton Centre, Bob Aceti, who is involved in solar power, and Avra Weinstein.

Lopez, a lifelong Hamiltonian, who graduated from McMaster University and is a senior manager at East Hamilton Radio, finished fourth in the 2018 provincial election collecting 2,102 votes, behind the winner, NDP leader and incumbent MPP Andrea Horwath’s 23,866 votes.

Lopez stated that his past political experience “has prepared him for a strong federal run.”

Aceti, who worked in the past as an accountant, and is listed on his LinkedIn page as the managing director of Suncharge Corporation, ran for Oakville’s town council in the 2010 municipal election, finishing third in Ward 1 with 602 votes behind winner Alan Johnston, who collected 2,715 votes.

Also seeking the nomination is Weinstein.

The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6 starting at 7 p.m. at Laidlaw Memorial United Church at 155 Ottawa St.

The winner will take on NDP candidate and former Ward 3 Coun. Matthew Green, Conservative candidate Monica Ciriello, the People’s Party of Canada candidate Melina Mamone, and independent candidates Tony Lemma, who ran for Ward 3 in Hamilton’s municipal election, and Edward Graydon, who ran for mayor in the 2018 election.

The Hamilton Centre Liberals have yet to select a candidate for the election. A request for comment from the party had not been received.