OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to an article on campaign spending during Orillia’s 2022 municipal election, published April 8.
The recently released municipal campaign financial results make interesting reading.
Full disclosure, I made a contribution!
The results show you how much or little funding can lead to a successful campaign or not.
You can see the level of community support for candidates and the diversity of that support. Remember there is no 'political tax receipt' for contributions at the municipal level.
A review of the results of the two candidates for mayor, Mason Ainsworth and Don McIssac, makes very interesting reading.
Both candidates received local support, but one candidate received more support from outside of the 'local community.' I assume there are no 'residency' requirements to make a contribution.
Two final thoughts.
First this last mayoral campaign was acrimonious at best with allegations of criminal interference in the election process.
Secondly, less than a third of eligible voters bothered to vote.
Neither bodes well for the future of the "Sunshine City"!
Phil Tweedie
Orillia
