Recently-released campaign contribution reports from last June's municipal byelection show that key donors and campaigners for the top two contenders - Coun. Greg Gardner and runner-up Ted Prior- soon proved themselves to also be key players in the debate over the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC) lands.
That debate ended Oct. 20 when potential development partner Qualex walked away over council divisiveness and last-minute amendments to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) at a council meeting Oct. 17.
Gardner, who won the seat vacated by the death of Coun. Ray Peters with 49 per cent of all votes cast, received campaign support from local realtor Ken Newington, who also acted as his financial agent, and lawyer Doug Race, who was his legal advisor. The pair would later help rally residents against the partnership development deal detailed in the MOU.
Gardner received more than 30 contributions, approximately half for $100 and half for $200, for a total of $5,895. His list of contributors included names of numerous residents who spoke out against the MOU and who would later sign an anti-MOU petition organized primarily by Race. Names on both lists included, among others, Bill McNeney, April Turner, Norm Halvorson, Sheri Davis, Burritt and Sons Trucking, and Laurie and Lino Vanzella. Gardner himself covered the rest of the approximately $11,000 in expenses, $3,600 of which went to ads, $7,000 to signs and $435 to meetings.
Prior, a member of the SODC board of directors who finished second with 15 per cent of the votes, received significant support from his fellow directors itself, including a $200 contribution from board chair Larry Murray and a $100 contribution from board member Grant McRadu. SODC vice-chair Rob MacLeod acted as Prior's financial agent.
Prior also received $100 from Dr. Bruce Bessie, $500 from Churchill Properties and $368 from Mojo Signs. The vast majority of contributions came from Prior's own company, Southwood Holdings, for a total of $8,388 in expenses, $2,900 of which went to ads and $5,434 to signs.
Fifth-place finisher Randy Lewis may not have been as vocal on the Oceanfront issue, but he did attract significant support from the development industry, including proposed SODC partner Qualex. Lewis received $1,000 contributions from Qualex, Concord Pacific, Townline Homes and McDonald Development Corp., as well as $500 from Bethel Lands. Lewis also received $1,000 from Sea to Sky Ford, John Norton, Ledcor Power Inc., JBC Holdings and a company listed as Radcliffe. The Squamish Nation contributed a total of $2,600.
Lewis was also the biggest spender with $13,490 used to garner 189 votes - 7.6 per cent of all votes cast. Lewis spent $3,167 on luncheon fundraisers, $2,400 on campaign workers, $2,000 on writing services, $2,000 on print flyers, $1,080 on newspaper ads, $1,450 on print signs, $775 on lawn sings, $481 on ad material and $300 on three separate staff thank you lunches, according to a report by financial agent Linda Lewis.
Lewis himself has yet to sign off on the contributions and expenses report and faces a $500 fine for his tardiness. If he chooses to ignore the fine, he will be barred from running again until after the next general municipal election slated for November 2008.
Third-place finisher Terrill Patterson spent the least of all candidates, dolling out $100 while earning 226 votes.
Fourth-place finisher Larry McLennan spent $1,808, with the help of one contribution of less than $100, to reap 210 votes.
The campaign's youngest candidate, David Clarkson, spent $638 with the help of 10 contributors - including $100 from rival candidate Gardner - to end up in sixth place with 170 votes.
Environmentally-minded candidate Spencer Fitschen received $100 each from district environmental coordinator Chessy Knight and local environmental advocate Edith Tobe, spending $1,127 of his own funds to win a total of 84 votes.
