Mayor Ken Popove spent less than $10,000 in 2022 municipal election, but still won in a landslide

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove didn’t need an avalanche of campaign contributions to cruise to a landslide win over challenger Ian Carmichael in the October 2022 municipal election, according to campaign finance disclosure forms released Thursday by Elections B.C.

Popove, who was first elected to Chilliwack City Council in 2011 and then mayor in October 2018, recorded 18 contributions of $100 or more totaling $9,250, campaign documents show. His biggest contributions were a pair of $1,200 donations apiece from a local family. He reported total campaign income of $9,751.84 and spent $9,751.84 on his campaign.

Popove likely didn’t need to spend as much on his campaign because of his extensive involvement in the community as a volunteer and businessman. Long before his involvement on Chilliwack City Council, Mayor Popove invested in the community through his work with the BIA and by supporting local community events, such as Party in the Park, Village Classic Car Show and the Rotary Christmas Parade, according to his biography on the city’s website. His tire business, Ken’s Tire & Wheel, bears his namesake and has operated in Chilliwack for 29 years.

Popove received 12,035 votes compared to Carmichael’s 4,056 votes, or 74 per cent of the municipal vote.