By Janna Graham
Centretown residents dug deep into their pockets for long-time Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes in the last municipal election.
Audited municipal election financial statements filed with the city as required by the Ontario Municipal Elections Act, show that Holmes’s campaign generated three times more in donations than any other candidate running in Somerset Ward.
Winning the ward with 63 per cent support, each vote cost Holmes about $2.95, based on $19,478.76 she claimed in campaign expenditures.
Holmes collected $18,793.41 in campaign contributions from 143 donors.
She was also able to draw on a surplus of $1,416.64 that she declared after the previous municipal election.
Luc Lapointe came in second with 17 per cent support, but each vote him cost about $6.94, based on $12,367.87 in campaign expenses.
Lapointe collected $10,250 from 31 donors and recorded a non-reimbursable deficit of $2,117.87.
Idris Ben-Tahir, who came last in the election, also walked away out of pocket.
Ben-Tahir coughed up $13.59 for each vote in his favor. He raised $2,950 in contributions, but incurred campaign-related expenses of $3,078.91.
George Guirguis and Karen Dawe, who came third and fourt respectively, didn’t list any campaign contributions or any expenditures.
Lapointe spent $7,432 on brochures, $,1368 on signs and $628.96 for advertising.
Holmes’s campaign advertising came to $3, 086.59. She also spent $3,976.07 on brochures and $2, 598.14 on signs. A party on election day cost $478.79.
Holmes received contributions from a wide spectrum of the community, including popular eateries such as Stone Face Dolly’s, The Mayflower and Pub Italia.
The bulk of her contributions, however, came from individual donors.
Holmes declared a $1,202 campaign surplus. If she chooses to run in the next municipal election, she can claim this amount for the next campaign.
Candidates are permitted to collect campaign donations from Ontario-based individuals, corporations and trade unions. The minimum contribution is $25 and the maximum donation permitted is $750.