Former mayor Bruce Banman spent about $143,000 on his campaign in the November civic election, while his challenger Henry Braun spent just over $55,000 on his victory effort, according to financial disclosure statements released by Elections BC.
Braun won the election – held on Nov. 15 – with a less than two per cent lead, and about 600 more votes.
During the race, Braun announced he would not accept donations of more than $2,500. According to the documents, he received donations of that amount from Mann Capital Management Inc., Joe Varing, Mid Valley Insurance Agency Ltd., Kinder Sidhu and Associates, Eagle Mountain Farm Ltd., and Sneakers Abbotsford Racquets Club Inc.
In total, Braun had 67 contributors, while Banman had 73.
Banman’s largest donations were for $10,000. He received contributions in that amount from Compass Point Ventures Ltd. (Tammy Abra), Mystical Distributing Co. Ltd. (Rob Cameron), Donna Blackham, and Peter Redekop, according to the statements.
Banman also received a donation of $8,000 from Nicholas and Susan Braber, $7,100 from James Latham Consulting, and donations of $5,000 from Lally Group Partnership (Rajinder and Raminder Lally), Lally Farms Inc. (Rajvinder Lally), Shape Properties Corp. (Brad Stakes), Jansen Industries Ltd. (Patrick Jansen, Ken Jansen), Corpus Capital Corp. (John Glazema), and Delsumas Properties Inc. (Karen Matty).
Braun’s most significant expense was for signs and billboards, on which he spent $17,393. He also paid about $4,500 for internet ads, $5,400 for newspaper or magazine ads and $6,800 for radio.
Banman spent about $26,700 on signs and billboards, $26,900 on newspaper/magazines, and $23,600 on research and polling.
In 2011, when Banman was elected mayor, he had a budget of just $3,500. Braun, who was newly elected to council in 2011, spent just over $32,000, most of which was his own money.
The AbbotsfordFirst group, which saw four of its five members elected to council, spent almost $70,000 on their campaign. The councillors elected were Sandy Blue, Kelly Chahal, Brenda Falk and Ross Siemens.
The group spent about $20,000 on signs and billboards and $24,900 on newspaper and magazine ads. About $9,600 was spent on salaries and wages.
The only incumbent councillor who was not re-elected was Bill MacGregor, who spent just over $3,000 on his campaign.
Of the incumbents that were re-elected to council, Moe Gill spent the most at $10,453, followed by Les Barkman ($9,536), Dave Loewen ($7,066) and Patricia Ross ($4,105).
The candidate who spent the most but failed to win a seat was Lyle Caldwell, who put $15,973 into his campaign, though more than half of that amount came from Caldwell himself.
He was followed by Paul Redekopp ($14,954), but Redekopp was also the main donor to his campaign.