By Staff
April 17th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 2 city Councillor Lisa Kearns
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns won more votes of any ward councillor in the 2022 election, with 4453.
Lisa vowed to run a “frugal” campaign, and did so. She didn’t have a fundraiser – instead having attendees of a ward event consider donating instead to charity, and part-way through her campaign she announced that she had enough donations for her campaign, and urged people to donate to charity, if desired.
She had 25 donors, mostly all Ward 2 residents, and took in $4,450 in donations over $100; $175 in donations not exceeding $100.
Nick Leblovic, a member of the Committee of Adjustment, donated (with his spouse) $250 to Lisa, their ward 2 councillor. This is only relevant with respect to the Integrity Commission complaint regarding Leblovic which council now must consider. Should Lisa recuse herself due to this conflict?
When the campaign financial documents were recently posted on the City website, Lisa took to social media with the following message:
“Thank you to Ward 2 residents who contributed their time, talents and financial resources to our inclusive and frugal campaign. A special note of appreciation to those who wished to donate and re-directed those funds to a local charity in our community. By being frugal we were able to help others.
“It’s vital, said Kearns, “to understand the potential biases that may influence actions once in office. This is why full disclosure of campaign contributions can provide clarity around potential conflicts of interest and influence. By understanding where a candidate’s financial support comes from – transparency can be improved. Without transparency in campaign contributions, it becomes much more difficult to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.”
