Amy England, before: snaggle-toothed, unstyled hair, baggy sweats.

Amy England, after: Hollywood smile, chic new 'do, designer wardrobe.

The aspiring Oshawa politician went from sloppy student to polished professional in a televised makeover last year.

Face, teeth, hair, makeup, laser eye surgery, clothing, shoes, promo photos — England had the works as a team of experts injected the “glitz and glam of Hollywood” into her campaign. Months after Cosmo TV's “The Candidate” episode of Rags to Red Carpet aired on W Network, she won a regional seat on Oshawa council. That's where things get ugly.

England, 30, is accused of breaking election rules by not declaring what critics are calling a major freebie on her financial statement.

“Free gifts, expensive media help and a 30-minute show is a huge unfair advantage,” says former candidate Bill Steele.

“None of these things are election expenses,” England counters, noting she still has three months to file her final audited statement.

Steele is demanding a compliance audit, saying that England violated the Municipal Elections Act.

Under the act, the maximum a contributor can give a candidate in money or in-kind goods or services is $750. The spending limit for council candidates is $97,779.

Steele claims England failed to report an estimated $200,000 worth of gifts, services, production costs and airtime that all helped her get elected.

The makeover was a “substantial and strategic” part of the campaign, aimed at making England stand out from a field of 25 opponents, says Marissa Clark, who was her campaign manager for a few weeks.

“No one in their right mind would look at this and state it was unrelated to her campaign and was not used to influence voters,” Clark says.

A community activist, Clark adds that she was “very surprised at what (England) didn't report” in her election finances, after England assured her she would declare the large volume of gifts.

Steele, who also ran in the election but lost, recalls encountering the glammed-up journalism graduate in a “big white $3,500 jacket that she never took off” and dazzling dental work worth about $12,000.

“She sat beside me at a meeting and I said, ‘Oh, you got your teeth done' — they were awful big — and she said, ‘These are daVinci veneers. They're the best of the best.'“

Steele, who received 4,253 votes in last October's election — several places behind England, who scored 10,226 — says he'd love to have received “veneers and half an hour of exposure for free,” but it's against the rules.

He has submitted a 35-page audit request to the City of Oshawa, which is expected to be considered by a committee next week. If England is found in violation, she could face a fine or removal from office.

But she denies any wrongdoing, saying the products and services were payment in kind for being on the show, which aired twice last July. The show's producers could not be reached for comment.

“I've done everything in accordance with the act and in consultation with a lawyer and chartered accountant,” England says. “I've done my due diligence.”

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She adds that while the makeover didn't boost her ballot count, “it helped me find myself.”

At a viewing party she hosted during the campaign, England told supporters she applied to the makeover show to get “the look” that would pique voters' interest.

As an “impoverished student,” she saw it as a cheap way to kick-start her campaign, says England, who led her student association at Durham College for two years.

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