The cost of campaigning can deter people from running for civic office, according to New Westminster school trustees.
The board of education recently responded to a survey from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development on local election spending and noted that the price to get elected can be a hit to the pocketbook.
“I would really like to see us go back to the 1990s,” board of education vice-chair Michael Ewen told trustees at the Jan. 28 meeting.
Ewen wanted to return to the days when school trustee candidates pooled their funds and shared the cost of campaigning.
Ewen, along with his fellow labour-endorsed trustees, Jonina Campbell, James Janzen and David Phelan, received campaign contributions from unions.
Meanwhile, Voice New Westminster trustees, Casey Cook, MaryAnn Mortensen and Lisa Graham, raised money through individual contributions in the last election.
The board was asked to provide feedback on the expense limits issue last month.
Paying for media advertising, pamphlets and postage are among some of the most significant cost pressures for candidates. Raising funds is another challenge, according to trustees.
One of the questions on the survey was whether campaign finance issues are different in small communities versus larger ones.
Trustees said it is difficult to get elected in a large community as an independent. A potential candidate would have to spend more money because there are more people to reach out to, they noted.
In a small community, candidates may spend less and there is likely better name recognition, however, there are more challenges to get their name out if they are not a long-term resident, according to trustees.
The other question related to whether finance issues were different for those running for school board versus municipal elections.
The board noted that finance issues are different for the two camps, namely because municipal elections generate more interest and more people vote.
