Expense limits for candidates vying for seats on city council and school board are long overdue, says Mayor Jonathan Cote.
Last week, the province’s all-party special committee on local elections expense limits released its unanimous report on local campaign spending limits.
“Certainly these changes are something welcome and think are overdue for local government,” Cote told the Record. “Municipal government is the only form of government that doesn’t have any spending limits on elections. I think you do need to have that oversight. I think it’s good for democracy and also provides a little bit more of a level playing field, which I think is important in our elections.”
Some local candidates have voiced concerns that they’re unable to compete against politicians whose campaigns are financially supported by business or labour.
“Obviously, elections cost a lot of money to run campaigns. What I have noticed since I first ran in 2005, the cost of running campaigns seems to go up every election,” Cote said. “I think back to when I was 26 years old and ran for the first time for city council, if I’d have known I’d have to spent $15,000 or $20,000 to run for city council that in itself might have dissuaded me from running. I don’t think that’s a healthy situation.”
In jurisdictions with a population less than 10,000, the committee recommends expense limits of $10,000 for mayoral candidates and $5,000 for all other candidates including councillor and school trustee. In jurisdictions with a population 10,000 or more, the committee recommends a per capita formula to reflect that the size of the community significantly affects a candidate's campaign costs.
"We heard from the public that running for local government must be accessible and affordable. Our recommendations allow reasonable spending, while promoting fair and accessible local elections," said committee chair Jackie Tegart in a press release. "The committee's report recognizes the importance of local government and the need for fair local elections in a democratic system of governance."
Cote spent $63,572 on his 2014 mayoral campaign, while then-Mayor Wayne Wright had expenditures of $72,102 in 2011. Taking a quick look at the proposed formula, Cote said the spending limit would be somewhere between $40,000 and $45,000.
“Certainly it provides that level playing field,” Cote said. “Ultimately in any election, when expense limits don’t exist that’s where you can see people’s perceptions of the election seem to be diminished. If there’s any type of move to have people have more confidence in our electoral system, it’s a positive.”
On the council front, the top-spending councillor candidate spent $23,352 in 2011. That was down from a record high $28,776 in 2011.
“There’s a lot of people when they see these kind of amounts, running for office seems completely out of their reach,” he said. “Money will still be spent on campaigns, but it sets a fair limit and everyone knows what those limits are beforehand and no one has to guess what sort of dollars might be spent on the other candidates’ campaigns.”
The special committee on local elections expense limits also recommended the spending limits apply to candidates beginning Jan. 1 in the calendar year of the local election and proposed advertising limits by third-party advertisers. The committee's report, along with further information on the committee's work, is available at: https://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/leel
