Anyone feeling the heat from the Nov. 15 municipal election can relax. It wasn't because voters were fired up about the issues but from all the money burned by Tri-City politicians to get elected.
As anyone involved in elections knows, it is getting more expensive to connect with voters and the problem is that those willing to pay have a definite stake in the results.
According to statistics compiled by Tri-City News reporter Gary McKenna from municipal election spending disclosures in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, unions contributed about $82,000 to the successful elected candidates (not including school board) and developers spent $220,000 - nearly three times as much.
It's true democracy is costly, and no one is saying anything underhanded is happening, but without more clarity and firm election spending rules, voters will become increasingly disaffected and disengaged. If they believe developers are behind every decision, with unions not far behind, no one will believe a vote is ever made for the benefit of people who live here.
