Municipal election financing needs to be tightened up
VANCOUVER SUN DECEMBER 4, 2009
As municipal politicians go, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg remains in a class of his own. He reported last week that he spent $102 million US to eke out a narrow re-election victory, or $176 for every vote he received.
We don't know of any billionaires seeking municipal office in British Columbia, but if they did, there is no legal impediment to spending an equally ridiculous amount here.
In Canada, we recognize that money can undermine the democratic election process. We don't want anyone to be able to buy an election, so in federal and provincial campaigns, we have strict rules governing how campaigns are financed and how much can be spent.
At the municipal level, however, the rules are much looser and what rules there are have proven difficult to enforce.
This situation has remained despite the potential for corruption that exists as civic governments routinely make decisions affecting how land is used that can make or break local businesses. And dollars spent on municipal elections can be very efficient, given the low turnouts -- often less than 30 per cent.
Last week, Sun columnist Daphne Bramham detailed the somewhat bizarre situation in the Okanagan community of Summerland, where a group of city councillors admitted in a public meeting that they had accepted anonymous donations exceeding the legal limit in the form of newspaper ads that were purported to represent a group called Citizens for Smart Governance, which had not as required registered with the chief electoral officer.
It they were found guilty of such an offence, they could be removed from office, which Bramham points out would have left Summerland without a council.
This week, a local businessman Mark Ziebarth came forward and said he had taken out the ads. But his public acknowledgement doesn't mean election rules weren't violated.
What should matter is what was known by Elections B.C. during the election and what voters were able to find out about their choices before they cast their ballots.
Murky though all this is, what's even less clear is the question of whether any of this will ever be sorted out in court.
The province's position is that it is up to citizens to complain before any action is taken. Even when they do, frustration is often the primary outcome.
In two recent cases where there were allegations of electoral misdeeds in municipal campaigns, police investigated and recommended charges that Crown counsel declined to pursue. So where does that leave citizens who want a legally and fairly elected council? Concerned voters can file a lawsuit. That's not practical because it costs money. More importantly, it's the province's responsibility to ensure that local elections are fairly conducted because municipalities are creatures of the province.
Community Development Minister Bill Bennett accurately characterized the municipal arena as "a bit of the Wild West" compared to provincial and federal elections.
Premier Gordon Campbell, who as the former mayor of Vancouver is no stranger to municipal politics, promised in his speech to the Union of B.C. Municipalities at the end of September to appoint a committee to look into municipal campaign rules.
That committee, to be headed by Bennett and UBCM president Harry Nyce, is to report back by May 31. That committee has yet to be appointed and it is already on a tight timetable. It has to turn in its recommendations in time for legislation to be put in place before the next round of municipal elections, which will be held in November, 2011.
If the premier is serious about reform, and he should be, there must be no more delay.
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