Campaign finance reports sit on a table inside the Johnson County Registrar of Voters office in Franklin on Tuesday.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series analyzing contested office campaign finance reports in Johnson County. This article analyzes local offices such as counties and school boards. A story about the Indiana State House race appears in Friday’s Daily Journal and is available online at dailyjournal.net. Another article about how residents of Johnson County ZIP codes support the presidential candidates of the two major parties will be published in Tuesday’s paper.
Some local candidates have raised thousands of dollars, while others have raised only a few hundred dollars or less in the final stretch before the Nov. 5 election.
This year, voters across Johnson County are adding candidates at all levels to their ballots. In addition to the federal and statewide offices, local offices include two commissioner seats, county council at-large, coroner, surveyor, treasurer, Superior Court Judge No. 1, Prince’s Lakes City Council and six public school boards. Includes all meetings.
Of those positions, only County Commission District 3, County Council at large, Superior Court Judge No. 1, and the Center Grove, Franklin, Greenwood and Indian Creek school boards are up for grabs.
Campaign finance reports filed earlier this month show political action committees, corporations and individual donors are providing cash to boost their chosen candidates in hopes of winning votes. Campaign spending is generally viewed as a measure of support for a particular candidate.
These reports include both direct contributions to candidates, such as direct monetary contributions to a political campaign, and in-kind contributions, which are typically goods and services provided for free or at a discounted rate.
The Daily Journal looked at campaign finance report filings covering the end of the pre-election reporting period from April 13 to October 11. Here’s what local filings showed:
whole county council
Ron Bates has been the biggest fundraiser so far for Republicans running for Johnson County Council.
Bates started the period at $732.71 and raised $8,100. He and his wife contributed $7,500 to the campaign and also received a $500 contribution from WinRed, according to the filing.
Mr. Bates spent $8,458.10 on advertising. Those costs include T-shirts, signs, mail and pens, according to the filing.
Michelle Ann Graves, the county’s current treasurer, raised $30.95 in her own in-kind donations. She listed the same amount as her expenses, according to the filing.
Republican incumbent Melinda Griesemer did not report any donations or expenditures.
Three Democrats are running for three at-large candidates, with Bryce Potter leading the charge in fundraising.
Potter started the filing period with $726.38 in the bank and received nearly $6,861. According to her filings, she contributed $800 to her campaign, received $250 in individual contributions, received $336.08 from a Virginia fundraising firm and $1,000 from United Ford and Commercial Workers International Union. received.
She also received numerous messages totaling over $3,701 via ActBlue. The Indiana Veterans Association PAC contributed $250 to her campaign and the Indiana Stonewall Democratic Party contributed $150, according to her filing.
By the end of the application period, she had spent about $6,748, with $6,039 going toward advertising, according to her application. Other costs went to administration, fundraising, or donations to other candidates.
Democrat Saad Tawfiq received $500 from the Johnson County Democratic Party and $920 from 14 individual donors. According to his filing, he spent $400 on consulting services from Accel Campaign Consulting.
Democrat Michael Chiappetta raised $550, $50 from one individual donor and $500 from the Johnson County Democratic Party. According to his report, he spent $318.88, including $25 on paid political letters from the Daily Journal and $288.88 on yard signs.
District 3 Commissioner
Republican incumbent Ron West has not spent or raised money for re-election during this latest reporting period. He reported some debt for yard signs, advertising, and other miscellaneous expenses, which his tax return shows have been paid off.
Democrat Dr. Chele Hyde raised $8,244.24 after starting with a balance of $0. She received 12 individual donations, including $50 from former Greenwood Mayor Margaret McGovern and her husband.
Seventeen donations totaling $4,294.24 were also made to Hyde’s campaign through ActBlue. The Johnson County Democratic Central Committee also gave Hyde $250, according to her filing.
Hyde spent $2,788.49, of which the majority, $2,782.76, went to advertising. Another expense was a fundraiser and was the result of an accounting error by ActBlue, according to her filing.
High Court 1 Judge
Republican Brandi Foster Kirkendall had about $8,411 in cash at the start of the reporting period. According to her filing, she raised $100 from a single individual donation.
In terms of expenses, she spent $2,685.28. One cost $750 for sponsorship at the Johnson County Fair. The rest of the money went toward sponsorships for the Johnson County Republican Party and local nonprofits, according to her filing.
Kirkendall’s opponent, Democrat Gloria Danielson, does not report on fundraising or spending.
Center Grove Board of Education
Incumbent Amy Counts received a donation of $950. That includes $350 from herself and $600 in in-kind donations for yard signs from a Bergersville woman. Ms. Counts’ filing also reports that she spent $350 on advertising materials.
Fellow incumbent Rob Daniels received a $797.49 contribution from himself. His tax return revealed that he spent the same amount on signs and stickers.
Candidate Dr. Charity Flores received a donation of $3,773.84 on top of the $100 she already had in her account. According to her filing, two donations totaling $498.84 came from herself, and five additional donations totaling $2,900 came from other individuals.
Ms. Flores earned $3,873.17 in expenses, most of which, $3,206.27, went to advertising. The rest was for operating expenses, according to her filing.
Candidate Nicole Kemp raised $4,001.30. All of that came from 40 individual donations and one company. Mr. Kemp donated $1,050 to his campaign and also received $48.06 from Mr. Potter and $252.08 from Johnson County Democratic Party Chairwoman Amanda Stevenson Holmes.
Kemp spent $3,156.18, mostly on advertising, $3,084.43. Other costs were operational, according to the filing.
Candidate Robbie Williams did not file a report by the time the Daily Journal reviewed it earlier this week after the filing deadline passed.
franklin school board
Debbie Gill, one of two candidates running for the Franklin Township seat on the Franklin Community School Board, reported raising $5,792. According to her filing, she received five individual donations, including $2,000 donated to her campaign.
Gill spent $5,140.45, almost all of which ($2,614.80) was spent on advertising. Moneys was also working on repaying loans she gave to campaigns and fundraising, according to her filing.
Her challenger, Maureen Burkhardt, had not filed a report by the time the Daily Journal reviewed it. The same is true for all four candidates seeking seats on Franklin’s two city boards: Jared Hoesel, Brett Jones, Jennifer Briggs Mann and Christine Ott.
Greenwood Board of Education
The two candidates running for the District 3 seat on the Greenwood Community School Board spent about the same amount of money on their campaigns.
Incumbent Chris Zaborowski has raised $1,200.76 after starting with a balance of $0. He received three individual donations, including $500.76 from himself.
He spent the entire $1,200.76 on advertising, according to his filing.
Challenger Sheila Martin raised $931.26 after receiving five individual donations, including $531.26 from herself. According to her filing, she spent the entire $931.26 on the sign.
Indian Creek School Board
On the Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson United School Board (also known as Indian Creek), two candidates running for Nineveh Township seats (Thomas Burgett and Brian Young) are also running for at-large seat 2. None of the three people running for the seat (Kathy Cook and Tessa Dorn) are running. Key and Ed Harvey had submitted their report for review by the Daily Journal earlier this week, after the deadline had passed.
Look at the numbers
Below are fundraising and spending trends in some contested races from mid-April to mid-October, based on October campaign finance reports.
County Commissioner: District 3
Chele Heid (Dem): Raised $8,244.24. Expenditures $$2,788.49 Ronald H. “Ron” West (R): Raised $0. Spent $3,567
whole county council
Ronald “Ron” Bates (R): Raised $8,100. Spent $8,458.10 Michael F. Chiapetta (Dem): Raised $550. Spent $318.88 Michelle Ann Graves (R): Raised $30.95. Melinda Griesemer (R) spent $30.95: raised $0. Spending $0 Bryce E. Potter (D): Raised $6,860.90. Saad Tawfeeq (D) spent $6,747.86: raised $920. spent $400
First Judge of the High Court
Brandi Foster Kirkendall (R): Raised $200. Expenditures $6,694.88 Gloria J. Danielson (Dem): Raised $0. spent $0
Entire Center Grove Board of Education
Amy Counts: We raised $950. Spent $350 Rob Daniels: Raised $797.49. Charity Flores spent $797.49: raised $3,773.84; Spent $3,873.17 Nicole M. Kemp: Raised $4,001.30. Spent $3,156.18
franklin communications. Board of Education: Franklin Township
Deborah Lee “Debbie” Gill: Raised $5,792. Spent $5,140.45
Greenwood Distance Learning Board: District 3
Christopher “Chris” Zaborowski: Raised $1,200.76. Sheila Martin spent $1,200.76: raised $931.26; Spent $931.26
No report submitted
The following candidates had not submitted reports when reviewed by the Daily Journal this week.
Robert “Robbie” Williams, Center Grove School Board Chancellor Jared L. Hosel, Franklin Communications. Board of Education, Franklin City Seat Brett Jones, Franklin Communications. Board of Education, Franklin City Seat Jennifer Briggs Mann, Franklin Communications. Board of Education, Franklin City Seat Kristin M. Ott, Franklin Communications. Board of Education, Franklin City Seat Maureen Burkart, Franklin Communications. Franklin Township Board of Education, Thomas A. Burgett, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board; Brian Young, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board – Tessa Dawn Key, Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Board General Ed Harvey, Nineveh Hensley Jackson Board of Education General
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