Questions asked about Summerland election |
By Susan McIver
Special to the Herald
Summerland--Careful scrutiny of campaign financials led to questions for Summerland council and casts a shadow over the 2008 municipal elections.
The consistent theme of the questions Penticton Herald editor James Miller asked councillors Monday evening concerned their relationship to the group calling itself Citizens for Smart Governance.
"I identified myself with that group as did a number of others to take a position during that election," acting mayor Gordon Clark said, when Miller asked about his standing was with the group.
Earlier Clark said "It doesn‘t raise a signal for me" when asked if he was aware of the group.
After Miller reminded him of the series of ads sponsored by the Smart Governance group which endorsed everyone at the council table Clark said, "Yes, I am aware of it (the group)."
During the 2008 campaign, the Smart Governance group ran ads in the Penticton Herald, Summerland Review and Penticton Western News in support of the successful mayoralty candidate and winning slate of councillors.
Miller noted that $3,000 was a conservative estimate for the total amount spent on newspaper ads by the group.
An ad sponsored by Smart Governance in the Penticton Herald on Nov. 14, 2008, the day before the municipal election, cost just over $1,000.
Any person or group spending $500 or more is legally required to register with the chief electoral officer as either a campaign organizer or an elector organization and file financial statements within four months of the elections. Neither Good Governance nor any other group or individual registered with Summerland‘s chief electoral officer.
Failure to register can carry a maximum penalty of a jail sentence and disqualification of elected officials who benefited.
In his campaign financial disclosure statement, Clark reported receipt of an anonymous donation of $207.89 for payment of an ad in the Herald on Nov. 14, 2008.
He also noted that this was one-seventh of the total cost.
There are six seats for councillors at the Summerland council table plus one for the mayor.
A stand-alone ad for Clark did not appear in the November 14 issue of the Herald which prompted Miller to ask, "Is it safe to assume that it (the $207.89) was a contribution to the Smart Governance ad."
"I presume it was," Clark replied.
Clark also noted in his statement having received five other anonymous donations, all over $50 and all noted as one-seventh of the total cost, for ads in the Summerland Review and expenses associated with printing and mailing of cards and flyers.
Coun. Sam Elia declared a cash contribution of $207.85 from Mark Ziebarth on Nov.14, 2008.
"No, I don‘t think it is a safe assumption," Elia responded when Miller asked if it would be safe to assume that the $207.85 was a contribution to the Smart Governance ad.
When Miller said there was no stand alone ad for Elia in the Nov. 14 Herald and again asked if the $207.85 was a contribution to the joint Good Governance ad, Elia replied, "I am not sure I have an answer to that question."
Elia denied being a member of the Smart Governance group as Clark did a few minutes earlier.
According to Clark, the group is not a ‘body corporate‘ and therefore membership is irrelevant.
Clark also said he did not recall knowing of any formally appointed chair or president of the group.
"I am not sure what that term endorsement means," Elia replied to Miller‘s question if he was aware that he was being endorsed by the group.
Mayor Janice Perrino declared a contribution of $207.85 from an anonymous source for an ad on Nov. 14 ad in the Herald.
There was a stand alone ad for Perrino in that issue with no indication of it being sponsored by Smart Governance.
This ad would have cost slightly over $400.
Interestingly, the cost of the ad sponsored by Smart Governance plus that of the Perrino ad equals within a few dollars seven times $207 or $1,442.
Listing cash contributions as in-kind donations, often as from anonymous sources, is a common thread in the financial disclosure statements by the current councillors and mayor.
"This ad paid for by a generous donation" appeared at the bottom of a full page ad in support of Perrino which was published in the Summerland Review on Nov. 13. 2008.
Perrino declared a cash donation of $842.09, the cost of a full page ad in the Review, from a B. Friesen on Lakeshore Drive as an in-kind donation.
In total Perrino declared $2,109 worth of cash contributions from four named donors, including Friesen, and nine anonymous sources as in-kind donations for expenses associated with newspaper ads, flyers and cards.
Such cash transactions are not permitted to be designated as in-kind donations in Penticton municipal elections.
An in-kind donation is a donation paid or given in goods, commodity or services instead of money, as defined by dictionary.com.
The six councillors declared a total of in-kind and/or anonymous donations totalling just over $3,000.
Neither the unsuccessful mayoralty candidate nor any of the seven defeated candidates for council reported any in-kind or anonymous donations.
The Local Government Act limits each anonymous donation to $50.
Perrino and her council members, however, listed numerous cash donations of over $50 from anonymous sources as in-kind donations.
Intended or not, this gives the appearance of attempting to thwart the public‘s right to know who paid for their campaigns.
Rather than providing the details of amount, date and other information required by the Local Government Act, four councillors gave only a total amount for their anonymous contributions.
Councillors Bruce Hallquist, Jim Kyluik and Lloyd Christopherson each reported having a received a total $506.72 in anonymous donations during the months of October and November 2008 for newspaper ads, cards and flyers.
Coun. Ken Roberge declared an estimated amount of $650 in anonymous donations without stating any time period for donation of the funds or their use.
Adherence to the provisions of the Local Government Act, especially as related to sources of campaign financing is crucial to the credibility of elected municipal officials.
Perrino was unavailable for comment. Clark has been appointed acting mayor in her absence as she‘s presently recovering from surgery.
Campaign financing disclosure statements are available for public viewing at the Municipal Hall on Henry Avenue.
The November 9, 2009 council meeting can be seen on Shaw TV Friday, November 13 at 11 am. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVP349ZoNXY You Tube video
Special to the Herald
Summerland--Careful scrutiny of campaign financials led to questions for Summerland council and casts a shadow over the 2008 municipal elections.
The consistent theme of the questions Penticton Herald editor James Miller asked councillors Monday evening concerned their relationship to the group calling itself Citizens for Smart Governance.
"I identified myself with that group as did a number of others to take a position during that election," acting mayor Gordon Clark said, when Miller asked about his standing was with the group.
Earlier Clark said "It doesn‘t raise a signal for me" when asked if he was aware of the group.
After Miller reminded him of the series of ads sponsored by the Smart Governance group which endorsed everyone at the council table Clark said, "Yes, I am aware of it (the group)."
During the 2008 campaign, the Smart Governance group ran ads in the Penticton Herald, Summerland Review and Penticton Western News in support of the successful mayoralty candidate and winning slate of councillors.
Miller noted that $3,000 was a conservative estimate for the total amount spent on newspaper ads by the group.
An ad sponsored by Smart Governance in the Penticton Herald on Nov. 14, 2008, the day before the municipal election, cost just over $1,000.
Any person or group spending $500 or more is legally required to register with the chief electoral officer as either a campaign organizer or an elector organization and file financial statements within four months of the elections. Neither Good Governance nor any other group or individual registered with Summerland‘s chief electoral officer.
Failure to register can carry a maximum penalty of a jail sentence and disqualification of elected officials who benefited.
In his campaign financial disclosure statement, Clark reported receipt of an anonymous donation of $207.89 for payment of an ad in the Herald on Nov. 14, 2008.
He also noted that this was one-seventh of the total cost.
There are six seats for councillors at the Summerland council table plus one for the mayor.
A stand-alone ad for Clark did not appear in the November 14 issue of the Herald which prompted Miller to ask, "Is it safe to assume that it (the $207.89) was a contribution to the Smart Governance ad."
"I presume it was," Clark replied.
Clark also noted in his statement having received five other anonymous donations, all over $50 and all noted as one-seventh of the total cost, for ads in the Summerland Review and expenses associated with printing and mailing of cards and flyers.
Coun. Sam Elia declared a cash contribution of $207.85 from Mark Ziebarth on Nov.14, 2008.
"No, I don‘t think it is a safe assumption," Elia responded when Miller asked if it would be safe to assume that the $207.85 was a contribution to the Smart Governance ad.
When Miller said there was no stand alone ad for Elia in the Nov. 14 Herald and again asked if the $207.85 was a contribution to the joint Good Governance ad, Elia replied, "I am not sure I have an answer to that question."
Elia denied being a member of the Smart Governance group as Clark did a few minutes earlier.
According to Clark, the group is not a ‘body corporate‘ and therefore membership is irrelevant.
Clark also said he did not recall knowing of any formally appointed chair or president of the group.
"I am not sure what that term endorsement means," Elia replied to Miller‘s question if he was aware that he was being endorsed by the group.
Mayor Janice Perrino declared a contribution of $207.85 from an anonymous source for an ad on Nov. 14 ad in the Herald.
There was a stand alone ad for Perrino in that issue with no indication of it being sponsored by Smart Governance.
This ad would have cost slightly over $400.
Interestingly, the cost of the ad sponsored by Smart Governance plus that of the Perrino ad equals within a few dollars seven times $207 or $1,442.
Listing cash contributions as in-kind donations, often as from anonymous sources, is a common thread in the financial disclosure statements by the current councillors and mayor.
"This ad paid for by a generous donation" appeared at the bottom of a full page ad in support of Perrino which was published in the Summerland Review on Nov. 13. 2008.
Perrino declared a cash donation of $842.09, the cost of a full page ad in the Review, from a B. Friesen on Lakeshore Drive as an in-kind donation.
In total Perrino declared $2,109 worth of cash contributions from four named donors, including Friesen, and nine anonymous sources as in-kind donations for expenses associated with newspaper ads, flyers and cards.
Such cash transactions are not permitted to be designated as in-kind donations in Penticton municipal elections.
An in-kind donation is a donation paid or given in goods, commodity or services instead of money, as defined by dictionary.com.
The six councillors declared a total of in-kind and/or anonymous donations totalling just over $3,000.
Neither the unsuccessful mayoralty candidate nor any of the seven defeated candidates for council reported any in-kind or anonymous donations.
The Local Government Act limits each anonymous donation to $50.
Perrino and her council members, however, listed numerous cash donations of over $50 from anonymous sources as in-kind donations.
Intended or not, this gives the appearance of attempting to thwart the public‘s right to know who paid for their campaigns.
Rather than providing the details of amount, date and other information required by the Local Government Act, four councillors gave only a total amount for their anonymous contributions.
Councillors Bruce Hallquist, Jim Kyluik and Lloyd Christopherson each reported having a received a total $506.72 in anonymous donations during the months of October and November 2008 for newspaper ads, cards and flyers.
Coun. Ken Roberge declared an estimated amount of $650 in anonymous donations without stating any time period for donation of the funds or their use.
Adherence to the provisions of the Local Government Act, especially as related to sources of campaign financing is crucial to the credibility of elected municipal officials.
Perrino was unavailable for comment. Clark has been appointed acting mayor in her absence as she‘s presently recovering from surgery.
Campaign financing disclosure statements are available for public viewing at the Municipal Hall on Henry Avenue.
The November 9, 2009 council meeting can be seen on Shaw TV Friday, November 13 at 11 am. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVP349ZoNXY You Tube video
http://www.pentictonherald.ca/stories.php?i=223734&a=53591&d=12619&k=86684b621da93a1e4500c2c8b2c8b6ec
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