Spending thousands did not result in victory
It was a pricey gamble for at least two failed city council candidates in the November civic election.
According to candidate expenses listed on the City of Kamloops website, Chris Ortner and Dino Bernardo spent $6,723 and $4,717 respectively on their election campaigns.
The two failed to capture one of the eight seats on council in the 24-person race.
Ortner finished 12th with 6,004 votes, while Bernardo finished 15th with 4,219 votes.
So far, five council candidates from the Nov. 19 election have filed their expenses.
Notable contributions to Ortner’s campaign came from fellow members of the Kamloops Voters Society Derek Cook and Bob Gamble, who each gave $100.
Ortner was the president of the society before stepping aside to run for council.
Former federal NDP candidate Michael Crawford also chipped in $100 toward Ortner’s campaign.
Bernardo, who owns the Commodore Grand Cafe and Lounge in downtown Kamloops, received notable contributions from Chances Gaming ($500) and Norm Daley of the accounting firm Daley and Company ($150).
Meanwhile, Coun. Tina Lange kept her campaign fairly frugal, spending $1,800 on her re-election bid.
The three-term councillor finished third, collecting 7,498 votes.
She also received a $500 contribution from Chances Gaming.
In 2008, Lange spent $736 on her campaign.
Dennis Paget and Bryce Eberle both spent $3,297 and $1,410 on their respective campaigns.
Paget finished 17th with 4,020 votes, while Eberle finished in 14th place with 4,622 votes.
The election had four mayoral candidates — Peter Milobar, Deiter Dudy, Brian Alexander and Gordon Chow — none of whom has filed their expenses.
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