I want to add a wrinkle to the municipal campaign finance limits. In 1999 and 2002, I spent $3,000 of my own money on my municipal campaigns. That was all I spent.
I used personal funds solely in order not to be obliged to any contributor. I didn't see any sense of political purity in this, I just wanted to be totally unencumbered while sitting on council.
Having said that, I feel the important factor in all of this is declaration of who's on your side and why.
Perhaps municipal candidates should be restricted to fundraising prior to filing their nomination papers and then be required to declare those donations during the campaign and well in advance of election day.
Bruce Strachan,
Vernon
