By Charlotte Helston INFO-TEL Multimedia August 20, 2013 - 3:36 PM
VERNON - Thanks to mandatory financial reporting, we now know how much
candidates spent on their campaigns in the May election. In
Vernon-Monashee, NDP candidate Mark Olsen ran the most expensive
campaign by about $3,000. Olsen, who came in second with 34 per cent of votes, spent a total of
$74,815 throughout the course of his campaign, including the two months
before the official kick-off. The largest chunk of change ($28,955) was
spent on salaries and benefits, while almost $9,000 was spent on media
advertising and $5,000 on signs and brochures. Olsen himself contributed
over $5,000 of his own money to the campaign. Olsen's campaign in Vernon was somewhat high compared to other NDP
campaigns in the area, suggesting they believed it was a winnable
riding. Compare with the $36,495 spent by Shuswap candidate Steve
Gunner, or the $24,500 spent by Tish Lakes in Kelowna-Mission. It was
more in the league of NDP candidates in Kamloops, where Kathy Kendall
spent $76,789 and Tom Friedman spent $85,503. Liberal MLA Eric Foster, who won the riding with 46 per cent of the votes, spent a bit less than Olsen, with $72,006. Foster spent more on media advertising, research and polling than
Olsen. He also spent considerably less on salaries and benefits than his
NDP adversary, shelling out just $3,422. The two candidates also spent vastly different amounts on social
functions and thank-you parties. Olsen spent $500 in this area, while
Foster spent $2,708.
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