Municipal elections may be a battle of wits and personality but they are also a battle of funds.
Candidates had until March 16 to disclose documents revealing how much money they raised and how much they spent.
From a high of $9,434 raised and spent by successful council candidate Doug Race to a low of $0 by unsuccessful mayor candidate Terrill Patterson, the numbers tell part of the story of who supported whom, and who outspent whom.
Squamish's well-established Drenka family showed their support for numerous winning candidates through its corporation, Seven J's Development, by donating a total of $1,000 - $200 each to Mayor Greg Gardner, and councillors Race, Rob Kirkham, Paul Lalli and Corinne Lonsdale for their campaign efforts.
Cardinal Concrete, owned by Bob Fast, also contributed to the several campaigns, pitching $500 to Lalli, Race and Gardner. Triton Steel also supported Gardner and
Lalli, contributing $500 to each. Rommel Homes gave $500 to both Gardner and Race. Oakview Holdings gave $200 to Lonsdale and Kirkham.
Lalli outspent all other candidates for each ballot earned with $7,629 going toward 1,761 votes to take council's last remaining seat. That means an expenditure of $4.30 per vote. His other backers were Black Mount Logging, Triton Steel, Oakville Holdings and Dave Thomas Law Office with a $500 donation each.
Race, who received the most support of all councillor candidates at 2,625 votes, spent the next to highest amount per vote with $9,434.31 - translating to about $3.60 per ballot. His largest donors were Rommel Homes, Bethel Land Corp., Cardinal Concrete and Couloir Project Management, at $500 dollars each.
Coun. Bryan Raiser spent the least per vote. Raiser was the only candidate to receive notable labour backing, with Squamish District Labour donating $500, and Sandy Bauer of the Squamish & District Labour Committee donating $300. Spectra Landscapes donated $200 and the Howe Sound Brew Inn donated $500. He spent $3,422 on his campaign with $1,012 coming out of his pocket for a total of 2,297 votes, or $1.49 per.
Lonsdale spent the next to least per vote with $3,815 for her successful re-election bid. She also received support from Triton Automotive at $200 and Garibaldi Springs Development with $100 for the second-highest election result of 2,458. This translates to about $1.50 per vote.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman comes next in per vote ratio. She received the cycling community's support with $250 from CORSA cycle and $250 from Viento Sports Inc. Heintzman spent $3,750 on her campaign with support from William Roberts, Pheasant Run Enterprises and Cambie House. With her 2,260 ballots, she spent $1.65 per vote.
Gardner who topped the polls with 3,557 votes, received $7,014 in campaign contributions with more than $1,000 coming from his own wallet, translating to about $1.97 per vote. His corporate sponsors included Black Tusk Helicopters ($500), Triton Steel ($500), Cardinal Concrete ($500), Telus ($500), and Carneys ($180).
Coun. Rob Kirkham received support from the forestry industry for with campaign with $200 from Squamish Mills Ltd. Kirkham also received $300 from Omniflight Aviation, $100 from Donlyn Management Company Ltd. and $125 from Ingraham Enterprises. He spent $5,194.59 for 1,988 votes, or about $2.60 per ballot.
