Thunder Bay municipal election candidate expenses now on-line

Mayoral candidate Ken Boshcoff spent more than double what Thunder Bay mayor Keith Hobbs did during the 2014 municipal election campaign. 

That's according to candidate financial statements now available on-line. 

Boshcoff spent $43,263.00 during last fall's municipal election campaign. Hobbs spent $21,472.99.

Neither candidate came close to the spending limit, which is just over $80,000.  

The biggest-spending council candidate was at-large candidate Barry Streib, whose expenses totaled more than $29,000.

"For us, that's an outlier," said city clerk John Hannam.  "I think we had a couple of our at large candidates back in 2003 that spent 13 or 14 and that was kind of the tops at that point."

Councillors Andrew Foulds, Aldo Ruberto and Frank Pullia spent the most of any successful council candidates with expenses totaling more than $8,000 each. 

The most unusual campaign expense was documented by Current River candidate Claudio Monteleone. He paid to replace the windshield of a vehicle that was for sale at a car dealership after it appeared vandals used one of his election signs to smash it.

"You know, to be courteous, because he did give me the permission to put the sign up in his business, I basically covered the cost of that window," said Monteleone.

The full expense reports can be found on the TBay votes web site. 

City Councillor's campaign expenses during the 2014 municipal election

(Total expenses subject to the campaign spending limit.  Does not include expenses such as accounting, auditing, and office expenses incurred after voting day)