'Smear campaign': Facing criticism over big-ticket fundraiser, Mark Sutcliffe pushes back against Horizon Ottawa
Mark Sutcliffe said it's "bogus" to frame his event as cash-for-access.
Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen
Sep 13, 2022 • 10 hours ago • 5 minute read
It’s entirely within election rules for a mayoral hopeful to feature at an event like the one held for Mark Sutcliffe last Saturday, where attendees were invited to donate $1,200 — the campaign maximum — and spend a few hours with the candidate at a Lansdowne condo during a Redblacks football game.
Sutcliffe argued in an interview Tuesday it was a normal fundraising event that he’s now defending because a registered third-party advertiser in the municipal election is targeting him with an “American-style smear campaign.”
Following Sutcliffe’s fundraiser, Horizon Ottawa flagged in critical social media posts and a press release a column Sutcliffe penned in the pages of the Ottawa Citizen in 2016, criticizing the then-governing provincial Liberals’ engagement in fundraisers where tickets sold for thousands of dollars granted businesses access to government decision-makers, and the rules that allowed that to happen.
Horizon Ottawa’s Sam Hersh said the organization is targeting the practice, not necessarily the person, in the case of this fundraiser. While Horizon has endorsed Sutcliffe’s rival, Catherine McKenney (who uses they/them pronouns), and is campaigning in support of their election, Hersh said Horizon’s response would have been the same had McKenney held an event like this one.
Sutcliffe argued there’s a clear distinction between his recent fundraising event and those he criticized in his column, “which was about actual corporations paying to attend fundraising events … where they would meet with cabinet ministers who would make decisions about their files and would spend huge amounts of money,” he said.
“It was about provincial and federal politics. It wasn’t about municipal politics. The rules that we have in place now do not allow corporations to donate to political campaigns. These are individuals, members of the community, community leaders,” he said of those who attended his Saturday fundraiser. The event page lists a $1,200 “attendance fee,” which Sutcliffe said he believed was only a suggestion and that there was a range of amounts donated, below the maximum, by those who attended.
Founded in 2020 as a “progressive, municipal-focused grassroots organization,” Hersh said a big part of what Horizon Ottawa does is push where it sees a need for reform such as “lowering campaign contributions, making elections more democratic and transparent and taking big money out of politics.”
Sutcliffe, for his part, said it’s “bogus” to frame his event as cash-for-access, which is how Horizon has described it publicly.
“I am meeting with people all over the community constantly throughout this campaign. Anybody who wants to meet with me, I’m happy to talk to them,” he said. As for the impact of a $1,200 donation, Sutcliffe said the idea that this could influence his decision-making is “ridiculous.”
“I’ve worked very, very hard in this community. And I have a long track record as someone who tells it like it is and makes decisions based on the evidence and based on what’s right for the community.”
Comparing Horizon Ottawa to the political action committees (PACs) active in U.S. politics, Sutcliffe argued the organization has been attacking him since the beginning of his campaign.
“But now they’re attacking community leaders, and that’s where I draw the line. I say enough is enough to that,” said Sutcliffe.
“They’re going after business leaders and community leaders where there is no conflict of interest. They are simply people who care about the future of Ottawa and want to support a political candidate who shares their vision,” he said,
“These are people who might donate $1,200 dollars to cancer research or donate $1,200 dollars … or more to the Boys and Girls Club,” said Sutcliffe. “Nobody talked to me about anything to do with city business or anything like that …. this is normal for a fundraising event of any kind, political or otherwise, where people who care about a particular initiative get together, they make some donations, they have a nice time together and then they move on.”
There are two third-party advertisers registered so far in Ottawa’s municipal election: Horizon Ottawa and the Campaign Life Coalition. They’re allowed to spend up to $25,000 during the campaign, accept donations — including from developers and unions, who can’t donate directly to candidates — and campaign for or against people running for election. Horizon has already endorsed a slate of council hopefuls, as well as McKenney, and will be backing certain school board trustees in a later announcement.
In addition to election rules, Sutcliffe confirmed that Saturday’s fundraiser aligned with a self-imposed rule he’s set for contributions to his campaign, which lives on his website: that donations from the owners and executives of development companies and unions as well as their family members, won’t be accepted, to ensure there’s no real or perceived conflict of interest.
None of the event attendees, nor its three organizers — commercial real estate lawyer Daniel Fernandes, businessman Peter Hudson, and sports entrepreneur Jeff Hunt — fall into those categories of people whose donations his campaign won’t be taking, Sutcliffe said. Fernandes said via email that Sutcliffe’s campaign made it very clear to him not to invite any developer clients, a direction he respected.
“We’ve set the highest standard and we are sticking to that standard,” said Sutcliffe of his contribution regime, noting that his campaign is the only one to rule out union donations.
Asked about this — McKenney has only said they won’t take developer donations — McKenney said union executives and developers aren’t equal, in their eyes, with the former being elected to their roles by workers, and trying to achieve “fair wages, cost of living increases, better working conditions,” while the latter are regularly coming to city hall asking for planning permissions that involve the potential for “significant, financial personal gain.”
As for Horizon Ottawa’s activity in the campaign, McKenney said they have no control over third-party advertisers, and there is no direct involvement between any of those advertisers and their campaign team. Asked how they feel about Horizon’s third-party campaigning, McKenney was non-committal.
“There are several third-party campaigns. It is a part of the election process. I may not agree with … the policy to allow it, but it’s there.”
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...horizon-ottawa
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