SUSAN McIVER, Special to The Penticton Herald 11/12/2009
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. (more)
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