Reported election expenses for local school trustee candidates came out this week; they ranged from $253 to $3,355. But it wasn’t those who spent the least who lost.
School District No. 46 (SD46) had five candidates vying for three school board seats in the Nov. 15 municipal election, while four trustees were acclaimed.
Of the five candidates who ran, Betty Baxter, Lori Dixon and Greg Russell won the seats they sought, while Sarah Bradley and Allen Stevenson were unsuccessful.
Baxter, who won the election with the least amount of votes (1,366), also spent the least amount of money. She reported spending $253.01 on her campaign that included some brochures and a thank-you advertisement in the newspaper. Baxter funded about half of her own campaign while Eyesoar Graphics donated $128.63.
Russell brought in the most votes at 1,546 and also spent the most on his campaign at $3,355.30, which he funded himself.
Russell spent about $1,750 on brochures, $1,532 on newspaper ads and $72 on signs.
Dixon garnered 1,469 votes spending $2,991.81 on her campaign. The majority of her money came from unnamed donors and she spent about $1,146 on brochures, $676 on newspaper ads, $55 on signs, $532 on postage, $136 on administration and $445 on expenses while out campaigning.
Of the two candidates who failed to secure a seat, Bradley reported spending $350.92 on her campaign, mostly for signs, while Stevenson spent $1,189.53, mainly on newspaper advertisements and campaign signs.
Of the acclaimed trustees (Chris-tine Younghusband, Dave Mewhort, Lori Pratt and Pammila Ruth) only Ruth spent any money, shelling out $33.75 for a professional headshot for her newspaper bio and $3.75 in bank service charges.
View the full disclosure statements for all candidates at: www.elections.bc.ca. Click on the local elections campaign financing link.
