Election expense forms released this week held some interesting information about the candidates who ran in Elphinstone. One losing candidate from that area spent four times as much as the winner, while another has yet to file his expense forms and could face a charge under the Election Act.
Robert Corlett and Thomas Murray took on incumbent Lorne Lewis for the Elphinstone director’s seat in the Nov. 15 municipal election, but Lewis held on to the position with 472 votes compared to 387 votes for Corlett and 194 votes for Murray.
Lewis reportedly spent $773.53 on his campaign, while Corlett doled out about four times as much at $3,707.42.
Murray has yet to file his election expenses and has been given until March 16 to send them in with a late filing fee of $500. If he doesn’t make that deadline, he may be penalized further.
“It is an offence under the act to not file a disclosure statement, so if they’re charged under that, then they would be prohibited from running until after the next general election,” noted Don Main, communications manager with Elections B.C.
Murray did not return phone calls for comment by press time.
Corlett said he actually spent less on his campaign in the 2014 election than in the 2011 election, when he took on Lewis and spent around $4,500.
At $3,700 this time around, Corlett said he “didn’t think it was necessary to spend any more.”
Running on a platform that included preserving lot 1313 as a provincial park, Corlett said he was able to solicit donations from several businesses that shared his vision, and those donations funded much of his campaign.
“The support came from the forest industry for that,” Corlett noted.
He ended up spending the majority of his campaign funds on purchasing signs and setting up a website.
Lewis divvied his campaign funds between signs and newspaper ads.
In the race for the West Howe Sound director’s seat, Ian Winn and Ron Girard spent close to the same amount at $1,565.54 and $1,412.84 respectively. Winn won the seat.
Former West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull gave $500 to Winn’s campaign, Louanne Sherwin gave $300, Brian Antonson gave $200 and Winn topped up the rest.
He spent the most on signs at $1,015.69 and newspaper ads at $169.05.
In Roberts Creek, Mark Lebbell won the seat, spending a total of $1,756.66 on his campaign. Lebbell was up against Hans Penner who spent $953.92, Barbara Hague who spent $1,479.49 and David Kelln who spent $619.52.
Lebbell’s campaign was funded by several individual donations, including a $100 donation from former director Donna Shugar.
He spent about $751 on signs, $336 on newspaper ads and $201 on brochures.
Acclaimed directors Garry Nohr of Halfmoon Bay and Frank Mauro of Pender Harbour filed campaign statements of $0.
