A former city hall staffer, a holistic nutritionist, a professional engineer and a small-business owner are among the new faces heading to City Hall.

There were hotly contested races in four open wards, which were left without incumbents after several sitting councillors stepped down and the city's ward boundaries were redrawn. Ultimately, the victorious candidates were Maureen Wilson in Ward 1, Nrinder Nann in Ward 3, Esther Pauls in Ward 7, and John-Paul Danko in Ward 8.

There's also another so-called new face heading to City Hall — Brad Clark, former councillor for Ward 9 and 2014 mayoral candidate, unseated incumbent Ward 9 Coun. Doug Conley in their Stoney Creek Ward.

Here are the new faces heading to City Hall:

Ward 1: Maureen Wilson

Wilson, 52, has worked as a senior political staffer for the former Hamilton-Wentworth Region and the early amalgamated city. She is married to Terry Cooke, the head of the Hamilton Community Foundation. Wilson campaigned on her municipal experience and a commitment to better transit and safer streets for all.

Wilson took a decisive lead at the polls early on election night, and was the first candidate in an open ward to be declared the winner.

"I'm feeling humbled and honoured and joyful. I'm ready for the job," she said. "I'm very grateful to the residents of Ward 1 for putting their trust in me, and I'm going to work hard every day to keep that trust, and increase it."

Ward 3: Nrinder Nann

Nrinder Nann, 41, successfully managed outgoing Coun. Matthew Green's Ward 3 campaign in 2014 and benefited this year from the public support of both Green and popular NDP Hamilton Centre MP David Christopherson.

But Nann also ran a professional campaign that was highly visible online and emphasized high-profile experience with the City of Toronto and a major New York City union. She also has a degree in holistic nutrition and runs her own business, Nourishing Health.

The active community organizer advocated for more emphasis on affordable housing and air pollution problems in a ward that nudges up against the industrial waterfront.

"I have a deep sense of gratitude for all the residents of Ward 3 for instilling their trust in me," she said, adding that she's aware that Ward 3 traditionally has the lowest voter turnout in the city. She says she hopes to connect with more people in the ward, make sure they're engaged and understand what the city can be do for them.

"I have even more of a job to do."

Ward 7: Esther Pauls

Pauls, co-owner of the Runners Den in Westdale and a mother of four boys, made her first venture into politics this spring when she ran for the provincial Conservatives in the Hamilton Mountain riding. She has also previously campaigned on behalf of Marie Bountrogianni and mayors Bob Bratina and Fred Eisenberger.

Pauls said her strategy for this campaign was to connect directly with Ward 7 residents — which, despite losing some ground to Ward 8 when the city's ward boundaries were redrawn, remains the city's most populous ward.

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"I focused on people, on making sure their needs were met. I asked them, 'What are your concerns?' And I will do my best to solve them."

Ward 8: John-Paul Danko

Danko, a professional civil engineer and small business owner, announced his victory with a two-word Tweet on election night: "Crushed it."

Danko, who came in second to Donna Skelly in the 2015 Ward 7 byelection, took an early lead in the polls despite facing serious challengers in former MP Eve Adams and weather personality Steve Ruddick. He campaigned on a progressive platform, including support for LRT, and made headlines when he spoke out about candidates improperly placing signs around the ward.

"The campaign was really simple, actually. We focused on who I am and the qualifications that I bring to the table — sort of the same way you would in a job interview," he said.

This election was also a one-two punch for the Danko household: Dawn Danko, who is married to the council candidate, was acclaimed as school board trustee in Ward 7.

Ward 9: Brad Clark

This "newbie" councillor is a familiar face around the council horseshoe and a veteran Hamilton politician. Clark, who was first elected to city council in 2006, left his Stoney Creek ward in 2014 to try his hand at the mayor's chair. He ultimately lost in 2014, coming in second place to Eisenberger.

This year, he defeated incumbent Coun. Doug Conley on a platform that included widening major arterial roads and cancelling LRT.

"This is the second time I've unseated an incumbent in Ward 9," Clark said while celebrating his victory at City Hall on Monday night. "There was such frustration in the ward about the lack of infrastructure, about the condition of the roads and sidewalks — and I think it was exasperated by such significant commercial and residential development," he said, adding that despite that new development, major roads like Rymal Road are still two lanes with no sidewalks.

"People just didn't understand it, and they were angry about it. We have a lot of work to do to fix that."