Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger spent $54,829 in his successful run to be the city's mayor, according to expense documents filed with the city.
That's almost half of what second-place finisher Dan Melanson spent, whose campaign expenses totalled $105,769. He received 11,345 votes in the October municipal election, compared to 27,303 for Bigger.
Bigger slightly outpaced Melanson when it came to donations, receiving a total of $53,819 compared to $48,401, although that included $10,000 of his own money. By comparison, Melanson contributed $176 to his own campaign.
The higher spending also left Melanson with a bigger deficit. He reported a $57,167 shortfall, compared to $1,010 for the mayor.
Former Mayor John Rodriguez, who came third in the race, filed for an extension to the March 27 filing deadline. He reported a deficit of $30,000 as of December. Ex-candidates Ron Dupuis and Richard Majkot did not file their reports on time, and therefore can't run in the next municipal election in 2018.
Jeff Huska, who came fifth in the mayoral race behind Dupuis, reported $19,326 in campaign expenses.
He received $19,659 in donations, and finished with a surplus of $532.40.
In terms of where the money went, Melanson spent $70,931 on advertising, and another $14,052 on signs. Bigger's single biggest expense was phone and Internet expenses, which topped $15,912. That compares to $482 Melanson spent on the same line item, and zero for Huska.
Bigger also spent $13,506 on advertising and $9,588 on signs.
A list of corporations and individuals who contributed to each campaign – up to the limit of $750 – is available on the city's website, www.greatersudbury.ca/inside-city-hall/election-2014/candidates.
In addition to Dupuis and Majkot, 12 other municipal candidates failed to file financial information by the deadline, including former Ward 2 Coun. Jacques Barbeau.
Bigger replaced former Mayor Marianne Matichuk, who didn't run for re-election. She spent $111,737 in her successful campaign in 2010, defeating Rodriguez, who spent $66,927.
