Campaign financing disclosure statements were due March 19 at Nanaimo city hall for all candidates and their campaign organizers who participated in the Nov. 19 municipal election.
Finance disclosure statements must be filed within 120 days of an election according to provincial law.
Mayoral candidates had the widest range of campaign donations. Mayoral hopeful Dan Didio, who received 546 votes, filed $0 in campaign donations while Roger McKinnon, who received 5,366 votes, was bankrolled for $37,668, $5,000 of which was his own money with another $5,000 donated by Old House Management. Mayoral candidate Jim Routledge claimed $18,560 in total donations, $17,300 of which was his own money. He earned 2,139 votes in the election.
All three were defeated by Mayor John Ruttan, who claimed $28,437 in campaign donations with $14,132 of that being his own money. He earned 52 per cent of the vote with 8,815 ballots cast for him.
For council candidates, those who were successful also had the largest amount of donations for the most part, with the exception of Coun. Jim Kipp, who was elected despite financing his own campaign for just $300.
Other successful candidates included George Anderson with $4,285 in donations; Bill Bestwick received $6,995 with CUPE BC donating $5,000 and the International Firefighters Association donating $1,500; Diane Brennan received $10,470 with CUPE BC contributing $4,000; Ted Greves received $16,350, the most of any councillor, with $16,000 in donations from trade unions including CUPE and IAFF; Diana Johnstone received $4,347; Bill McKay received $3,172; and Fred Pattje claimed $4,647, though $2,350 were self-contributions.
Non-winners for council included Arlene Blundell with $2,014 in donations; Brunie Brunie with $540; Chris Cathers with $3,546; Brian Fillmore at $3,735; Gord Fuller at $2,060; Gary Korpan at $2,300; Rod Lomas at $2,475; Jeet Manhas at $9,944; Zeni Maartman at $1,592; Darcy Olsen at $3,050; Christopher James Ouellette-Croucher at $646; Peter Quinn Ramsay at $1,900; Trent Snikkers received $4,650; and Rob Zver received $5,400, $4,500 of which was donated by CUPE.
Campaign organizers, individuals or organizations that publicly back one or more candidates, are also asked to disclose their financial documents relating to the November 2011 municipal election by March 19.
Concerned Citizens of Nanaimo, a north-end group of residents concerned with how city council handled the low barrier housing facility near Hammond Bay and Uplands roads, claimed expenses of $1,000. It endorsed McKinnon, Bestwick, McKay, Fillmore, Lomas and Cathers.
Provincially, CUPE spent $127,103 on election support, with $113,416 of that being spent on newsletters. Locally, CUPE backed Bestwick, Brennan, Fuller, Greves, Maartman, Snikkers and Zver.
The Canadian Labour Congress spent $148,862 provincewide while supporting Olsen, Brennan, Pattje, Fuller, Zver, Greves and Maartman locally.
The International Association of Firefighters Local 905 filed $7,188 in expenses while supporting Greves, Brennan and Bestwick.
Other campaign organizers include Impact Visual Communications and William Slater who spent $1,000 and $402 respectively. Neither organizer claimed which candidates they backed in their disclosure statements.
