(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

The two biggest spenders in the recent Kamloops municipal election couldn't get the votes, according to recently released elections data.

Dieter Dudy was the biggest spender of all 27 candidates during his run for mayor, in which he totalled $48,753. On Oct. 25, he was the runner-up behind now-mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson.

Second in spending was Darpan Sharma, who reached $35,942, which is over the candidate spending limit of $34,080 set for Kamloops by Elections B.C.

He came in 12th place of the 23 candidates running for a council seat.

Hamer-Jackson had the third highest expenses among all candidates, with $33,595, far below the $67,295 mayoral candidate spending limit.

Only five of the top ten spenders won their bid for the election. Along with Hamer-Jackson, they include councillors Katie Neustaeter, Bill Sarai, Margot Middleton and Mike O'Reilly.

The standout frugal candidate was councillor Dale Bass, who did collect donations but spent none of it, according to Elections B.C.

The 2022 election was, overall, a much more expensive campaign than the 2018 election.

At $407,066, the 27 candidates vastly outspent the 23 candidates during in 2018. Eight of the ten highest spenders won their seat that year.

Here's how much the current council spent on the election, according to Elections B.C.:

• Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson: $33,595.73
• Katie Neustaeter: $30,160.00
• Bill Sarai: $33,072.02
• Mike O'Reilley: $19,449,24
• Stephen Karpuk: $3,491,12
• Dale Bass: $0.00
• Nancy Bepple: $15,140,76
• Margot Middleton: 28,278.52

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