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rfj hcs1 ivv 1r t rf r mi nji i mm ricwiw economist suntribune i election 2000 thursday6cii92000 most york region mayors accept campaign donations from developers should they do that don cousens markham mayor accepts donations from developrers say ing i do not feel obligated by any dona tion because theamourit of all contribu tions is quite small- wayne emmerson whitchurch- stouffvjlle mayor said it makes no differ ence who donates to his campaign his communitys planning is already com pleted bill bell richmond hill mayor said its ridiculous to think anyone could be influ enced by 750 will you sell your soul for 750 i wont he said- margarget black king mayor advis es her campaign team not to take contri butions from developers but a developey bought a table at a fundraising dinner should i- have said they shouldnt come tom taylor newmarket mayor who is the only york region mayor to be acclaimed in 2000 does not and never has accepted developers donations i feel it is extremely difficult to distance yourself from an objective decision where do the campaign dollars come from o when developersdonate to municipal candidates campaigns the perception on the part of tfa at a glance by kathleen griffin staff write some do some dont but most york region mayors say anyone who believes develop rers can buy off a municipal politi- cian with a 750 campaign dona- tion must think they come pretty cheap will you sell your soul for 750 i wont said richmond hill mayor billbell tor yearsimunicipal politicians have dealt with the community- based perception that if they do accept campaign contributions from developers or development companies they end up owing them a favour or two down the road as development in the region grows at a jecord pace so has that perceptiqnand over the years many politicians have been accused of being in developers pockets- i understand that perception exists said bell the media feeds on it and makes a frenzy out of it but there is provincial legislation that governs contributions and rec- pgnizespbssible abuse thats why theres a 750 limit v no donation whether from an individual or companycan exceed 750 all candidates- must record donations accepted and file them with the townvclerk -who- then makes the list public albeitmonths rafter the election municipal election donations are not tax deductible in york region but everymunicipalityhas the right to pass its own bylaw to address tax deductions or exemp- tions in ontario only toronto and ajax have done so mayors can spend a maximum of5500 on their campaigns plus 50 cents per elector councillors may spend 3500 plus 50 cents for each voter in their ward for this article eight of york regions nine mayors were asked the same questions do you accept campaign donations from develop- ers or development companies and why or why not vaughan mayor lorna jackson could not be reached for comment on this issue bell does accept such donations but said he goes out of his way not to solicit funds from anyone involved in the development of the oak ridges moraine a current hot issue money filters in sometimes and you dont know if its from a particu lar developer he added king township mayor margaret black makes the same point t i advise my campaign team not to take contributions from develop ers black saidbut last election for example club link which has its headquarters in king bought a table at a fundraiser should i have said they couldnt come she added the schickedanz brothers both farmers and devel- opers have regularly contributed to numerous political campaigns over the years they have the most beautiful horse farm in the township and are longtime residents do i say no i dont know she said but we would not- take funds from a greenpark or a fred degasperis black said her background as a lawyer and the fact her family has lived in the area almost 200 years has always made her very careful when i leave politics im back in law she said im not going to compromise myself or my children and i have never been in the pocket of any developer thats not the kind of person i am and thats it tve heard it door to door if we accept money from a developer its like were being paid off markham mayor don cousens said in all his years in politics there has been only one time someone who donated to his campaign has come back to him for a favour heasked for something i felt was outside the boundaries of pro priety cousens recalled i dealt with it quickly and speedily and returned the money it actually ended the relationship cousens said hell accept cam paign funds from anyone including developers i do not feel obligated by any donation because the amount of all contributions is quite small its ridiculous to think we can be bought for 750 he said aurora mayor tim jones agrees ill accept donations from any- one who would like to give to me the same way ill accept votes from anyone who would like to vote for me whether its a developer or any one else jones said iput every one in the same pot c whitchurchstouffville mayor wayne emmerson said it doesnt- matter who contributes to his cam paign the towns secondary plan- regulating growth and develop ment is final all the planning is done with residents support and were not going outside it until 2021 he said it was passed one year ago and cant i be changed for five years at least that will take us to the next election i have no problem here whatsoever vaughan mayor lorna jackson said while she accepts donations from anyone interested in support ing her campaign she doesnt even look at her contributors list imustsayldontgetagreatdeal of money f only collect what i really need she said i dont even look at who they are i accept them blind i dont know and i dont cafe georgina mayor robgrossi said he doesnt accept contributions from developers because residents could get the wrong idea were not collecting money while theres a perceived problem out there or an opponent who might make an issue of it he said ive heard it door to door if we accept money from a developer its like were being paid off in newmarket mayor tom taylor has never accepted money from developers in fact he wont accept money from companies or 1 lobby groups or community organi- no donation whether from an individual or from a company can exceed 750 all candidates must record all dona- tions accepted and file them with the municipal clerk thejist is made public generally after the election in york region such donations ate not tax deductible each municipality hdwev- er may pass its own bylaw addressing deductions or exemptions toronto has such a bylaw zations at all tm not criticizing what other people do buti feel its extremely difflcultjo distance yourself from an objective decision taylor said fraser nelson of metrus developments is the chairperson for the york region branch of urban development institute he said the udi does not have a policy on campaign contributions but metrus routinely donates to various campaigns he said we have a corporate position that if were asked well contribute we contribute to people i dont even know some maywin some may lose nelson said we do it because it helps the democratic process and the democratic process costs money he said he has never worried about the perception that dona tions may influence candidates if there is that- perception out there im puzzled by it theres the 750 cap and at the end of day i suspect no politician is going to be influenced by 750 i