Mayoral wars continue post election with official complaint

A defeated metropolitan mayor has made an official complaint about the campaign of the rival who unseated him.

Defeated Mitcham Mayor Glenn Spear has lodged a formal complaint over the campaign of the candidate who unseated him last November.

Mr Spear has complained to the Electoral Commission questioning the financing of Dr Heather Holmes-Ross’s bid for the mayoral position at the 2018 council elections.

He says her declaration of a ‘nil’ donations return is “hard to believe” given the large number of fundraising events conducted in the months before the election.

“In one event there was an entry fee of $10. I would have imagined that more than 50 people attended this event alone,” Mr Spear wrote in his email to the Electoral Commission SA.

“Given some of the events were held at her commercial premises (The Artisan Cafe) in Blackwood I would find it hard to believe turnover/donations did not exceed $500.

“Post-election Ms Holmes-Ross thanked her myriad of supporters for their financial support.”

In a Facebook post before the election on November 9, Dr Holmes-Ross told supporters:

“To those that have walked, talked, or voted for me, financially supported me, performed crazy midnight corflute stealth operations for me, believed in me and helped in any way, I would love to see you at my campaign thank you event on Friday evening.”

Mr Spear said he had received notification from the Electoral Commission that the matter would be investigated.

“My understanding is that the CEO of (Mitcham) Council will be asked to make an inquiry as to the candidate’s fundraising endeavours,” he said.

Dr Holmes-Ross told the HillsValley Weekly she was yet to be notified of the complaint.

“I believe my campaign return was legal and correct,” she said.

“During the campaign I rang the Electoral Commission to run by them a few things I was doing with my campaign so I’d be surprised if I’d done anything amiss.”

The legislation covering council election campaign donations, set out in section 80 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999, does not include a cap on the amount of donations a candidate can receive.

But all candidates, whether successful or not, must lodge a Campaign Donations Return with the council chief executive disclosing:

Total amount or value of all gifts received;

The number of people who gave those gifts;

Details of persons and organisations providing those gifts.

A Campaign Donations Return form is sent to all candidates following nomination close.

It requires candidates to list the total value of all gifts received, and also the specific details of gifts received if the amount or value of the gift is $500 or more.

The Electoral Commission said it did not comment on complaints.