Last Friday was the deadline for candidates in last fall’s municipal elections to submit their financial documents.
If there’s one thing that stands out from those documents, it’s that candidates outspending their competitors aren’t guaranteed electoral success from that fact alone.
While Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie and Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky both topped fundraising lists and vote results in their cities, regional chair Ken Seiling and Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong found themselves returned to office despite being outspent by other candidates.
Spending limits for candidates are based on the number of people eligible to vote for a position.
The highest limit in Waterloo Region is for the position of regional chair, where candidates could spend more than $312,000.
Jay Aissa came closest to that amount, spending nearly $250,000 on his campaign.
Seiling, who picked up more than double Aissa’s vote total, racked up about $60,000 in expenses.
He credits his victory to his record while in office, rather than his spending.
“People knew me. They knew what I stood for,” he said.
In Woolwich Township, Sandy Shantz was the voters’ choice for mayor.
She was also the top spender of the three candidates who had filed their financial documents by the deadline.
Incumbent Todd Cowan, who finished fourth, had yet to file his documents, meaning he will not be allowed to run in the 2018 election.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the City of Kitchener had yet to post its candidates’ financial statements online.
