A former West Vancouver municipal candidate who is banned from running in the next local election because he didn't file election finance disclosure reports on time has become the first North Shore Conservative candidate to enter the provincial fray.
David Jones, owner of a West Vancouver design-build company and community volunteer, was announced last week as the provincial Conservative candidate for West Vancouver Capilano.
Jones' last foray into politics was as a candidate for West Vancouver council in the November 2011 election.
Under the Local Government Act, all candidates had 120 days after the election to file campaign finance disclosure forms, detailing who donated money to their campaign and how much they spent. Jones was one of two candidates who didn't do that, meaning he can't run in the next municipal election unless excused by a judge. His name appears on the provincial inspector of municipalities' current list of disqualified candidates. But the Local Government Act rules don't exclude anyone from running as candidates for other levels of government.
In an email response to questions, Jones said he filed his municipal election papers "a day late" but refused to pay the $500 fine, so had them returned to him.
The owner of Magellan Group and a former restaurateur will go up against incumbent Liberal MLA Ralph Sultan.
Veteran NDP campaigner Terry Platt, a B.C. Ferries worker, is also challenging Sultan in the riding.
Jones has been active in the Coho Festival and was recently awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to the local community.
