Steve Price, the former mayor of Sidney, is calling on this successor, Cliff McNeil-Smith, to resign after he violated campaign spending limits.
B次元官网网址淗e [McNeil-Smith] is an honourable person,B次元官网网址� said Price. B次元官网网址淏ut he broke the campaign rules, and he needs to resign.B次元官网网址�
PriceB次元官网网址檚 demand for McNeil-SmithB次元官网网址檚 resignation rests on provisions in the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA). It states that an B次元官网网址�
McNeil-Smith said he will remain in office until a court has heard his case. While McNeil-Smith acknowledged that this hearing could end up costing him his office, he expressed confidence.
B次元官网网址淲e believe that we can make a good case in our court application,B次元官网网址� said McNeil-Smith.
This back-and-forth between politicial rivals ensued after McNeil-Smith told Elections B.C. that his winning mayoral campaign exceeded the mayoral spending limit by $1,877 in his total spending of $11,349.
McNeil-Smith won SidneyB次元官网网址檚 mayoral race on Oct. 20, 2018 in a landslide, with 3,740 votes to PriceB次元官网网址檚 929 votes.
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Last yearB次元官网网址檚 local elections were the first time candidates, elector organizations and third-party advertising sponsors had to follow expense limits.
McNeil-Smith said his campaign accepts responsibility for the mistake, adding that his campaign will voluntarily pay the necessary fine, which amounts to twice the amount by which he exceeded the limit.
B次元官网网址淚t was an unintentional mistake,B次元官网网址� he said.
McNeil-Smith also has imminent plans to seek legal relief. A court could hear his case in as early as two weeks, he said.
B次元官网网址淐andidates or financial agents from disclosure requirements and expense limit penalties,B次元官网网址� the LECFA reads.
B次元官网网址渙nly if satisfied that exceeding the expense limit did not materially affect the result of the electionB次元官网网址� and that candidate B次元官网网址渆xercised due diligenceB次元官网网址� to ensure spending limits are not exceeded.
McNeil-Smith said his application will be able to prove that the excessive spending did not materially affect the outcome.
Price insists that Elections B.C. must enforce the rule regardless of the circumstances. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 quite black and white,B次元官网网址� he said. Future candidates would otherwise deliberately exceed spending limits, then seek relief, he said.
Price said the rules are unambiguous. B次元官网网址淲e were told at the start of the campaign that there is no room for error,B次元官网网址� said Price, adding he deliberately spent several hundred dollars less than what the limit would have permitted.
Totally agree, if this allowed to stand then it will become common practice to overspend know that all you have to do is pay a small fine, the newe rules were put in place to create a level playing field and to stop candidates with deep pockets from buying elections
B次元官网网址� Steve Price (@MayorPrice)
Rebecca Penz, communications director with Elections B.C., said it would be up to the Supreme Court of B.C. B次元官网网址� not Elections B.C. B次元官网网址� to determine whether the excessive spending B次元官网网址渕aterially affectedB次元官网网址� the outcome and whether McNeill-Smith showed B次元官网网址渄ue diligence.B次元官网网址�
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Of some interest is the nature of the disclosure. Price said he found out about the violation after McNeil-Smith had publicly disclosed it. Candidates had until Jan. 18, 2019 to submit final disclosures.
Penz said Elections B.C. is currently preparing the disclosure statements and contribution data for publication, leaving open the possibility that Elections B.C. might find additional irregularities or not.
B次元官网网址淭hese will be posted online in early February, and a media advisory will notify media that they are available,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎t this time, I can provide you with general information about the rules but not speak to any specific situations.B次元官网网址�
McNeil-SmithB次元官网网址檚 disclosure threatens to leave Sidney in a state of uncertainty, but the mayor said he will be able to govern until the court has rendered its ruling.
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For Price, the situation appears clear. McNeill-Smith should not wait until a judge could end up removing him from office. Rather, he should resign to set the stage for a B次元官网网址渇airB次元官网网址� election, said Price.
So would Price, who served one term as mayor before losing in October 2018, run in such an election? He did not commit one way or another, but added that he does have more time these days.
