Angry in the Great White North

I'm willing to bet that this will turn out to be one of those perfectly normal situations that just looks odd on paper.  But I guess until someone explains it to me, I'll remain puzzled.

Look at Conservative Deborah Meredith, who is running in Vancouver-Quadra.   According to her nomination contest returns, she raised $15,740.00 and spent $15,635.32, leaving her with a surplus of $104.68.

If you look at her expenditures, you see money paid for the services of companies like Bond Reproductions and Aurora Communications, as well as money for the salaries of a group of campaign staff.  There is even $210 for an audit, which is nice to see, since it gives you a sense that everything is accounted for.

Liberal Joyce Murray is a different story.  Her total cash inflow is $1300.  That's it.  One donor dropped off $1000, and the remaining $300 came from two contributions of less than $200.

(click to enlarge)

How do you run a nomination contest with $1300?  By racking up precisely $12,700.00 in expenses.

(click to enlarge)

Huh?

Joyce Murray's return lists $6,129.44 as nomination expenses subject to the limit permitted (the limit is over $16,000), and then $6,570.56 for amounts not included in the nomination expenses -- somehow adding up to the nice round number of $12,700.00.

When you look at her nomination expenses, there are five items listed, all supplied by the same person -- Joyce Murray.

Apparently Joyce Murray provided $748.23 worth in advertising for the Joyce Murray nomination campaign.  Joyce Murray claimed $1805.29 in salaries and wages owed to Joyce Murray.  Joyce Murray claomed $1871.38 in rent owed to Joyce Murray.  Miscellaneous expenses?  $1704.54, all owed to Joyce Murray.

Personal expenses?  $0

(click to enlarge)

See, on July 4, Joyce Murray lists five unpaid claims of $1320.97, $1155.78, $1489.35, $8007.51, $726.39, all with "Joyce Murray" listed as the supplier.  Of this $12,700 total in unpaid claims, $6129.44 was listed as expenses (that's the advertising and salaries and rent and so forth that I already listed). 

Maybe an explanation is in order.  An "unpaid claim" is money that remains unpaid to the supplier four months after the selection day (the nomination took place on April 4, 2007).  The entire $12,700 is listed as unpaid.  Between that and the expenses, there remains $6750.56 as expenses "other than nomination campaign expenses". 

This is accounted for on form 3b, a form on which the nominee explains what the expenses are.  Again, Joyce Murray is listed as the "supplier" all thee times.  Of the $6750.56, the breakdown is as follows:

• $659.50 for "meals and travel"
• $5,765.55 for "Hono?"
• $145.51 for "M?"

(click to enlarge)

No, I don't know what "Hono?" or "M?" are.  But apparently, if I had a "Hono?" lying around the house, I could sell it on eBay for $5765.55.

By the way, Deborah Meredith listed only $210 as an expense not related to the nomination.  It was used to pay for the audit I mentioned.  Apparently Deborah Meredith didn't need to buy a "Hono?", and had enough "M?" to see her through the nomination fight.

So where does this leave us?  I don't really know.  Deborah Meredith's paperwork makes sense.  Joyce Murray's looks...well...weird.  Joyce Murray is listed as the sole supplier of all services, and over half the money is owed for expenses not related to the nomination, expenses that aren't all that clearly described.  None of the money has actually been paid out.

I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation.

Update: I just looked over the returns from Cindy Grauer, a Liberal candidate who lost to Joyce Murray.  Seems very normal.  Expenses paid out for office furnishings, communications consultants, photocopying and printing services, and salaries.  The only expense unrelated to the nomination was a transfer to the Liberal association of just over $700.  She spent $8807 on her nomination, balancing out the $8807.50 she took in donations.  The donations came from just over 20 donors.  All very reasonable, transparent, and understandable.

Addendum:  I had a thought.  Maybe she paid for everything out of her own pocket, what with only $1300 in donations.  So everything is listed against her own name.  She intends to raise the money later to pay herself back.  But then doesn't that count as a loan?  And in any case, what does it say about her fund-raising skills?

Addendum:  Maybe all these expenses were "unpaid" because someone else paid for them.

Addendum: But exactly $12,700.00?  I mean, really!

Addendum: How about a placeholder, an incomplete and rounded-off return because the final return is not due yet?