Candidate Kirsten Krose tells CTV News that her family’s business ties to the local development community means she will look elsewhere for donations to her mayoral campaign. “My family has ties to developers through their construction supply company here in London, and I really wanted to keep my campaign very independent, so I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t soliciting or accepting money that would make me feel pressured or compromise my ethics,” Krose explained during a break from door-to-door campaigning. Her father owns Form and Build Supply, which sells concrete and masonry products to the construction industry. Meanwhile, Krose has taken the somewhat unusual step of holding an out-of-town fundraiser at the Albany Club in Toronto on Sept. 18. It’s advertised online as, “a chill evening with Kristen Krose where we’ll connect, share stories, and build bridges together!” “My eye is very much on London issues, but running a campaign takes a lot of dollars, so I need to be a little bit creative, [and] a little bit scrappy to get that money so that we can reach as many Londoners as possible with our message,” she explained about fundraising in Toronto. Krose adds that she will be holding a similar fundraiser for supporters in London the same month. Municipal election fundraising rules require donors to live in Ontario, and its not uncommon for large campaigns to receive some donations from supporters who do not live in the municipality. Founded in 1882, the Albany Club website describes a vision to be “Canada’s preeminent club for conservative-minded leaders in politics and business.” However, Krose says the location was chosen because a mentor in public affairs was recently a board member at the club. She emphasizes that supporters from all political stripes have indicated they will be attending. “I have a lot of conservative friends, but some of the people that are going to be in attendance are not conservative,” Krose explained. “We have some people that are very heavy NDP, I have a few Liberal friends that are going, I have a Green Party [supporter] coming.” Prior to running for mayor, Krose was president of SWON Public Affairs, which engaged in government relations, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement with all three levels of government. Previously, she had roles in the Office of the Prime Minister, federal ministerial offices, and senior positions in provincial governments. The other candidates running to be Mayor of London are Josh Morgan (incumbent), Susan Stevenson, John Feher, Lawrence-Zachary Howe, Dan Lenart, Bronagh Joyce Morgan, Christine Rosehart, Jeff Yam, and Mustafa Zeboon. The municipal election will be held on Oct. 26.
