The Non-Partisan Association's top two vote-getters in last November's school board election spent almost $75,000 combined but initially did not disclose the sources of most of their campaign funds.
Ken Denike, who was first elected in 1984, claimed $36,525.34 in re-election expenses but his disclosure form shows only $6,633.68 in donations and a $295.01 surplus. It does not explain how the other $29,891.66 was raised.
Denike said he covered the shortfall himself. He said he spent so much because it was a year-long campaign that was, in part, to support fellow successful NPA candidate Sophia Woo. "I think it was important that we have a Chinese person on the board who actually speaks Chinese," Denike said. "It's also running against a powerful organization, Vision Vancouver. If you leave it too late, you don't get results."
Woo, who ran unsuccessfully in 2008, outspent Denike by almost $1,100. Her $37,624.15 campaign included $29,816.98 for advertising, $3,920 for NPA campaign fees, $3,236.57 for restaurants, $346.55 for cakes, cookies, chocolates and Mandarin oranges, and $155.40 for a website. She raised only $6,500.68 but reported a $666.54 surplus.
Like Denike, Woo claimed she self-financed the rest of her campaign, but did not disclose her $31,123.47 contribution in the report. "I paid for it myself, so assume if it's not from others, then it's from myself," Woo said.
Woo's list of donors includes Denike, who gave $480. They each received $500 from NPA chairman Peter Armstrong and $200 from Vancouver Quadra Liberal MP Joyce Murray and her husband Dirk Brinkman.
By comparison, NPA city councillor George Affleck reported a $15,000 self-donation to his campaign and Elizabeth Ball gave her own comeback bid $16,034.53. Denike was fourth overall with 59,310 votes and Woo eighth with 55,889. He said they wouldn't have received so many votes had they not spent so much on advertising. However, fellow NPA candidate Fraser Ballantyne won a seat on school board with 55,714 votes after raising $5,655 and spending only $6,182.
Remuneration for school trustees for the year ended June 30, 2011 was $24,048.70. "We're not doing this for pay, we're doing this for public service," Woo said.
On Thursday morning, Denike sent the Courier a copy of both his and Woo's amended disclosure forms. Denike added his individual donation of $30,186.67 to his form and Woo's form now includes her own $31,790.01 contribution.
Vision Vancouver school board chair Patti Bacchus was the most popular candidate for the second time but her form shows no contributions or expenses. Same for Vision Vancouver's Rob Wynen and COPE ally Allan Wong. "All contributions and expenses handled through central campaign with elector organization," says a note on Bacchus's report.
Vision Vancouver co-chair Stepan Vdovine said the party believes its central campaign strategy is "the most effective way to elect candidates across the city in an at-large system. "Our candidates don't run individual campaigns. As such, donations the party receives support the Vision campaign as a whole," Vdovine said.
