PUBLIC CASH HELPS MAYOR

Bramham calls it a slush fund

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart has a $4-million advantage over his rivals going into this year's October municipal election.

For each of the past four years, city council has approved a discretionary budget of close to $1 million for the mayor.

Between November 2018 and the end of 2021 it amounted to $2.84 million, with another $1 million or so this year.

How the money is spent doesn't show up until half a year later, when it's listed on a back sheet of the mayor's and council's annual expenses. With no council or administrative oversight, it's essentially a political slush fund that Stewart has used to burnish his image, hiring communications experts, pollsters and political staff.

The lion's share of his spending — $2.3 million — has gone to “political salaries.” Another $452,700 was paid to consultants, and $87,700 was spent on private polling.

It seems unfair for incumbents to vote themselves this kind of electoral advantage. But there's nothing illegal about it and the million-dollar slush fund has been baked into every city budget passed by councils since 2016, when Gregor Robertson was mayor.

What makes it so attractive to incumbents is that even though the mayor's spending is clearly political, it falls outside B.C.'S already lax municipal election financing rules. Those rules limit Vancouver mayoral candidates' spending in 2022 to precisely $231,767.60, during the monthlong campaign period.

Before the campaign period starts, there is no limit. Candidates' spending is limited only by the amount they can raise without running afoul of the contribution limits of $1,250 to a candidate or an elector organization (a.k.a. political party).

But because the mayor's fund comes from taxpayers via the city's budget, it doesn't count as a campaign contribution.

How Stewart spends the money this year won't be known until next spring. But most of the money will pay the salaries for the seven full-time “political staff ” working in his city hall suite.

In an emailed response, the city's communications department confirmed the number of political staff, who it said are paid an average salary of $100,000, with pay ranging from $64,000 to $137,000 a year. The mayor's communications director, Alvin Singh, is one of them. He worked on Stewart's 2018 election campaign.

Now, Singh not only sends out news releases on City of Vancouver letterhead with the mayor's name prominently displayed, he co-hosts the podcast on Stewart's re-election website.

Elettra Communications has been the largest single beneficiary, earning $136,789 up until the end of 2021. One of the firm's two managing partners is Gwen Hardy. She was media relations director for Stewart's campaign.

Elettra was hired right after Stewart's November 2018 swearing in. Since 2019, Elettra has been on a $2,500-a-month retainer.

In 2021, it was paid an extra $1,275 for the mayor's news release on decriminalization of drugs and an additional $15,000 “annual retainer reconciliation.”

But it wasn't the only consultant in 2021. Stewart also paid Jim Rutkowski, former chief of staff to Alberta NDP premier Rachel Notley, for $20,000 worth of communications work.

Like Elettra, Alex Chan got his first of many consulting cheques in November 2018 that over the years have totalled $62,500.

Before joining Stewart's team, Chan worked for the federal New Democrats recruiting members and co-ordinating volunteers. On Linkedin, Chan lists his current job as the mayor's outreach co-ordinator. But he's also worked as the mayor's special and executive assistants.

Although political scientists like Stewart often say that the only poll that counts is an election, the Research Co. earned $10,000 from the mayor's slush fund for a poll done in December 2018. It paid for another poll in July 2019.

Six months later with a deeply divided and often dysfunctional council, Stewart announced that he would be seeking re-election.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered businesses and resulted in thousands of people being laid off, the Research Co. did monthly polling for the mayor. That cost taxpayers $66,000.

Research Co. did another poll in late 2021 at a cost of $11,500 shortly before Stewart announced that rather than run again as an Independent, he was recruiting candidates to run with him. The new party was subsequently named Forward Together.

While political staff and consultants are the biggest two items, the mayor has also spent tens of thousands of dollars under the general heading of “business and event expenses.” The billings have included lighting and equipment rental for news conferences, video editing, photo software and monthly subscriptions to live video streaming websites for him to host virtual town hall meetings.

In the city's current $1.75-billion budget, a million-dollar vanity fund may be little more than a rounding error. But it's absurdly unnecessary. Vancouver's mayor doesn't run the city, manage senior staff or formulate policy. That's what the city manager does at the direction of council.

With only one vote out of 11, the mayor chairs council meetings and is the city's official ribbon-cutter, handshaker, lobbyist and credit-taker. Nothing more.

There may be nothing technically wrong with the mayor having a million-dollar discretionary fund. But the cynicism of using public money for personal, political gain can only further erode citizens' already fragile trust in government.