Hamilton could follow Toronto in banning union and corporate donations to political candidates’ municipal election campaigns if Mayor Fred Eisenberger has anything to say about it.

Mayor Eisenberger, who during his upset 2006 mayoral victory over incumbent Larry Di Ianni boasted he did not take union or corporate donations, is advocating that Hamilton ban donations from unions and corporations. During the 2006 mayoral race, he made the issue a high-profile campaign promise, leaving Mr. Di Ianni to defend his problems with violating the Municipal Elections Act from his the 2003 mayoral election victory.

“I ran on this political issue,” said Mayor Eisenberger. “We need to wrap our heads around this policy. We need to understand the full impact.”

Although Mayor Eisenberger only asked at last week’s council meeting for a full information report on the effects, and implementation of banning union and corporate donations, the mayor remains committed to following in the footsteps of Toronto and Manitoba.

“It’s worthy of us to have a full report,” he said. “We need to look at all the variables.”

The City of Toronto is drafting a bylaw to ban union and corporate donations, while Manitoba has introduced Bill 35 to also ban union and corporate donations to municipal election campaigns. Toronto has already refused to issue rebates to union and corporate contributions made to municipal campaigns. A corporation and union can only give $750 to a candidate during an election, the same as an individual under provincial law.

But Ward 8 (west Mountain) councillor Terry Whitehead, one of two councillors to vote against the mayor’s motion, said banning different types of donations is a provincial responsibility.

“We should be petitioning the ministry for election reform,” said Mr. Whitehead.
Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson also voted against the motion.

Ward 6 (east Mountain) councillor Tom Jackson said he was willing to consider banning union and corporate donations, but only if the province and federal government are involved.
Ward 4 councillor Sam Merulla said other jurisdictions are examining the issue, he said, and it would seem to be the future.

“We should be leading by example, instead of being behind the curve,” he said.

Hamilton has had some councillors who have ran for political office without accepting union or corporate donations, including former Flamborough councillor Dave Braden and current councillor Brian McHattie.

Research has found that by far the donations companies, including developers, provide to municipal candidates out paces the amount of money unions give to candidates.

A recent staff report found that in Hamilton’s 2006 municipal election, of the $767,000 the candidates received, 42 per cent of the money came from corporations, and 5 per cent from unions. And of those donations, 77 per cent of the corporation contributions and 62 per cent of union money went to incumbents.