Tank: Saskatoon council rejects look at election finance rules

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A decade ago, a couple of former Saskatoon city councillors invoked the ominous Big Brother from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 to argue against rules for campaign spending surpluses.

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And here I thought Orwell was exposing the threat from totalitarian government to individual liberties and freedoms, not aiming to help politicians protect their treasure chests. I’ll have to reread that one.

Despite the silly argument, council voted 6-4 against a recommendation from a third-party commission that the city hold surplus funds in trust until the next election.

That vote happened six years after former mayor Don Atchison posted a higher surplus from campaign donations, $37,674.15, than he spent on his campaign, $34,316.84.

At the same 2015 meeting, council voted 5-4 to cap individual donations (but failed to suggest a dollar figure); 6-3 against banning union and corporate donations (Winnipeg banned them); unanimously to lower the disclosure level for donations from $250 to $100; and 8-1 to keep permitting donations from outside Saskatchewan.

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As former councillor Eric Olauson explained: “I have a rich uncle out in Alberta who actually likes me.”

In last November’s election, mayoral candidate Gord Wyant finished with a campaign surplus of $17,488.20 despite the highest spending ever on such a bid, $274,464.80. According to his disclosure form, the money is earmarked for “personal use,” presumably to refund some of the $40,000 Wyant donated to his campaign.

Mayor Cynthia Block also refunded some of her $3,105.91 surplus after she provided $16,025 in funding to her campaign, along with a $100 donation to the YWCA.

Coun. Randy Donauer, who led all councillor candidates by raising $27,549.76, plans to use his $5,558.17 surplus for “future election and resident engagement.”

Coun. Bev Dubois raised more than $20,000, but did not even run a campaign since she was acclaimed. She plans to divide her $8,793.37 surplus between an unnamed charity and “volunteers.”

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And Kyla Kitzul, who raised $1,897.81 to challenge Donauer in Ward 5, but only spent $831.27 said in her form the $1,066.54 surplus will go to a “future campaign.”

However, none of these candidates violated any regulations since the rules are so lax. Perhaps some of them told donors their plans for surplus funds. Or maybe not.

Candidates can pocket surpluses — and it seems reasonable for those who donated large sums to their own campaigns to reclaim some of that money — but the lack of further transparency for funds donated in good faith to a political campaign seems problematic.

Yet, earlier this month, council rejected reviewing the spending cap or taking any serious look at campaign finance, never mind considering changes.

Even well-financed Wyant, who finished a distant second to Block in the mayor’s race, acknowledged the spending limit was too high and restricted who could run for mayor and council.

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A council committee rejected a simple proposal by rookie Coun. Robert Pearce to review the spending limits in other jurisdictions. The motion failed on a tied vote, but absent Coun. Troy Davies confirmed in a text message he would have also voted against it.

Pearce noted the huge discrepancy between spending limits in Regina ($73,859 limit for mayor bids, $12,236 for council) and Saskatoon ($277,809.40 and $27,780.94, respectively).

But Coun. Zach Jeffries, who was also acclaimed, argued against even looking at other jurisdictions. Jeffries explained the formula of 85 cents per voter was established more than a decade ago.

“This has actually been in place for a very long time,” he said.

That sounds starkly like a better argument for reviewing spending than for refusing to do so. Jeffries added that campaign costs keep rising and: “It’s (a formula) that I think has actually been serving us quite well.”

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The question remains who is being served quite well: all candidates, voters, democratic ideals or just the incumbents who find it easier to raise money and deter serious challengers.

Council veterans Dubois and Donauer voted with Jeffries, but so did newcomers Coun. Scott Ford and Coun. Holly Kelleher. Ford explained in a text message that Jeffries had presented a compelling case about rising election expenses. Kelleher failed to reply to inquiries.

Sure, rookie Coun. Senos Timon raised the second-most money ever for a ward campaign, but he relied on organized labour and NDP connections. And five council races were won by candidates who were outspent, suggesting money alone cannot buy victory.

But, even if you believe the campaign spending caps work, what would be so terrible about looking at other jurisdictions, you know, every decade or so?

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Four rookie councillors voted in favour of a review along with Block, the only council veteran not threatened by a review — even though she raised the second most money and spent the second most of any mayoral candidate in Saskatoon history.

Only Davies, Donauer and Jeffries remain from the last time council took a serious look at changing campaign finance rules, so refusing to consider revisions looks like naked self interest by elected politicians.

Phil Tank is the digital opinion editor at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

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