Audit on election expenses to clear up speculations
Clarington Mayor Jim Abernethy’s election expenses will serve to clear up any speculation that he overspent, says the mayor who underwent an audit.
Allowing a resident’s appeal for an audit of how much the mayor spent in his successful bid for the top job. Clarington council voted 6-0, with the mayor abstaining due to a conflict of interest, Under the Ontario Municipal Elections Act, Mayor Abernethy was permitted to spend just over $47,000. In his financial statement and auditor’s report, he lists his total expenses as $44,233.59.
A letter to Clarington Clerk Patti Barrie, Ron Webb expressed a number of questions about the truthfulness of the spending report.
“There was a lot of talk through the election period of grandiose overspending and I have found that the following information gives conclusion to the need for an audit to ensure that democracy has not been compromised,” said Mr. Webb in his letter.
Overspending for candidates are strained to give up the office to which they’ve been elected, and are not qualified to proceed in the next election.
Grounds listed for the need for an audit consist of mistakes in the nomination fee, and questions about the campaign office costs and expenditures of election night festivities were questioned.
“The office expenses are listed as $9,046.52 for four campaign offices,” wrote Mr. Webb. “When I compared this to the former mayor’s office expense for one office of $10,886.74 in this election and $17,486.30 in the 2003 election for one office, I don’t believe Mr. Abernethy was using fair market value of at least $10 per square foot plus office furniture, fax, telephone, etc.”
The mayor’s statement lists $300 in donations for those providing him space in Newcastle and Orono.
“That would translate for just two months into each being a 15 square foot office, or five by three feet, not even the size of a closet. This needs to be cleared up,” said Mr. Webb in his letter. “As well, if fair market value is used, do the donations of Mark Hendrikx and Wallace Auto Supply stay within the legal limit for donations.”
Even expenditures of election signs are also interrogated in the letter.
The audit is to be completed by Hobb and Co., according to the motion brought forward by Ward 1 Councillor Adrian Foster.
“It was raised by the public, and there has been speculation,” said Councillor Foster. “Without (allowing the audit), there would have been a cloud over it.”
The mayor agrees that the audit will clear up any outstanding speculation, and said he’s confident of the outcome.
“I believe they made the right decision in initiating the audit,” said Mayor Abernethy. “I followed the guidelines of the Municipal Elections Act and I trust the audit will clear up any questions that were brought up as a result of the letter.”
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