BANGOR, Maine — If you’re wondering how much is being spent on this year’s seven-way city council race, you might be surprised by how little candidates have raised so far, according to campaign finance reports.
Here’s what candidates reported spending as of Oct. 20, the last day they must report their campaign finances before the Nov. 3 election:
[Click here to learn more about this year’s city council candidates.]
Gary Capehart reported no cash contributions and $25 in spending to purchase three rebar pieces to support political signs. He also reported a $60 in-kind contribution from himself.
Paul LeClair reported no fundraising or spending of any kind.
David Nealley reported $6,877 in cash contributions and $4,165 in spending. Fifteen of his contributions came from private individuals, with another 10 coming from businesses. In all, Nealley accepted a combined $2,475 from Grant Trailer Sales Inc., JHC Consulting LLC, Cianbro of Pittsfield, Hartt Transportation Systems Inc., Leadbro LLC, Leadbetter Trucks Inc., SRL Stores Inc., Creative Digital and T&T Capital Inc. No other candidate reported contributions from businesses. Nealley also accepted $250 from from Restaurateurs for a Strong Maine Economy, a political action committee associated with the Maine Restaurant Association, which supported Nealley based on his opposition to a proposed local minimum wage.
Sarah Nichols reported $2,430 in cash contributions and $1,132 in spending. All but two of Nichols’ 23 cash contributions came from private individuals. She accepted $100 from the Friends of Henry Beck, a private candidate committee controlled by state Rep. Henry Beck, D-Waterville. She also accepted $100 from the Bangor Democratic City Committee, a loose organization of Bangor Democrats chaired by former Bangor Councilor Gerry Palmer with current Councilor Ben Sprague serving as treasurer. Sprague said he was not present when the committee approved campaign contributions for the council race.
Bill Osmer reported no cash contributions or spending, but he listed two in-kind contributions totalling $1,362. Those contributions came from Osmer himself in the form of repurposed campaign signs from his 2010 legislative race, duct tape, copy paper, campaign postcards, print services and postage.
Joe Perry, a former state lawmaker who was a late entry into the council race, reported $510 in cash contributions, including $100 from the Bangor Democratic City Committee. Perry also loaned his campaign a total of $1,104 in August and October. He will be able to pay himself back for the loans with future campaign contributions. Perry reported expenditures in the same amount as the loans, buying signs, metal stakes and a print advertisement.
Megan “Meg” Shorette reported $225 in cash contributions, including a $100 contribution from the Bangor Democratic City Committee, She reported no spending.
In all, the seven candidates reported cash contributions totaling $10,102. That’s down 35 percent from the same point in last year’s election when just five candidates were running — Justin Freeman, Joe Baldacci, Sean Faircloth, Palmer and Sprague, none of whom raised less than $1,200.
This year’s candidates reported spending a total of $6,426, down 48 percent from the same point in last year’s election.
While low spending in national elections tends to mean the races are not as competitive, that rule probably doesn’t apply in local elections, where some candidates may rely on name recognition, said Mark Brewer, chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Maine.
In the race for school committee, spending was even lower, with candidates Jennifer DeGroff and David Sturm reporting no fundraising and no spending of any kind.
Brian Doore reported contributing $648 to his own campaign, which he spent on 200 political signs.
[Click here to learn more about this year’s school committee candidates.]
Candidates must file post-election finance reports by Dec. 15. Those will tell how much they spent in total on their campaigns.
Election Day for the City Council and school board races is set for Nov. 3 with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center on Main Street.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.