Keanin Loomis outspent Andrea Horwath in Hamilton mayoral race

Keanin Loomis spent almost twice as much as fellow candidate Andrea Horwath on advertising and signs in his unsuccessful bid to become Hamilton's mayor.

Audited financial statements released by the city Friday show Loomis committed a combined $122,763 to advertising and signage while campaigning last year, far more than Horwath's $65,041.

Meanwhile, former mayor Bob Bratina, who finished third in the mayoral race, didn't file his financial statements by the March 31 deadline. He can still submit them before May 1, albeit with a penalty.

Horwath, the former Ontario NDP leader, became Hamilton's first female mayor on Oct. 22, 2022 when she staved off Loomis by fewer than 2,000 votes.

Loomis - who left his post as president of Hamilton's Chamber of Commerce to run - spent $203,617 on his campaign overall, ending with a deficit of $3,028, according to his financial statements.

That's just a little more than Horwath, whose campaign expensed $193,174, her statements show. She incurred a deficit of $13,488.

The spending limit for the mayoral race was $349,953.

Besides advertising and signage, there were a few other differences in where Loomis and Horwath focused their finances.

Loomis, a political rookie, spent $25,573 on campaign software data and $14,571 on polling services while Horwath spent none. Horwath spent $15,122 on office expenses and $6,935 on meetings as Loomis forked out just $3,856 for office expenses and nothing for meetings. Another big difference between the two were salaries and honoraria: Howarth spent $82,584 while Loomis expensed $7,000.

Meanwhile, donor support for the pair was fairly even.

Despite registering her candidacy in late July - months after Loomis announced his intentions in January - Horwath received $168,875 in contributions of $100 or more, slightly more than the $166,703 raised by Loomis.

According to the financial statements, Loomis technically finished with a higher dollar value of contributions, but a big chunk of that was due to the $25,000 he and his spouse spent on his campaign. Horwath didn't contribute any of her own money.

Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com