Money isn't everything in a political race -- your bank account is not a reflection of your soul -- but if it were, some of the following political candidates would be going straight to campaign hell, and not necessarily because their campaigns are rich. In some cases, far from it.
Not all candidates for St. Paul City Council have gotten their eight-week pre-election campaign finance reports into the county elections bureau by Tuesday's deadline, but those that have deserve a high-five before we dissect the particulars. Good job! Now as for who is giving how much to whom, here's the straight scoop.
This man is also seeking election this Nov., but to what office, no one knows...
All seven city council seats will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, and money is flying in like winged monkeys in the race for the open seat in Ward 2, where obvious front-runners Darren Tobolt and Rebecca Noecker are probably too close to call.
There's also significant money wrapped into the Ward 5 race, including a $5,000 loan from candidate David Glass and his wife to his campaign, on top of "like-kind contributions." Donors to City Council Member Amy Brendmoen include the owners of the Como Dockside restaurant and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman's own campaign team.
Meanwhile, fellow Ward 5 candidate David Sullivan-Nightengale has apparently spent $12, according to his campaign finance report, leaving him with $288 in cash on hand. (Wait a second -- who paid for his brochures at the Independence Party booth at the Minnesota State Fair?) Nightengale reports donating $300 to his own campaign, his only apparent fundraising to date, and spending $6 (twice) to cover campaign bank fees.
In Ward 1, Council Member Dai Thao may or may not have a financial advantage over write-in candidate Mohamed Said, who claims to be running a couple hundred bucks in the negative. The ward's DFL endorsing convention is Sunday, but there's no campaign finance paperwork online yet from the Thao camp.
Here's a campaign finance breakdown by political ward. If you spot any other interesting donations of note in the elections filings, or even corrections, feel free to sound off in the comments section, army style.
WARD 1
Green Party candidate Trahern Crews lists $3,200 in campaign expenses to date, leaving about $200 in cash on hand. Donors include Aurora-St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation director Nieeta Presley, former Minnesota Attorney General candidate/housing inspector Andrew Dawkins and former mayoral candidate Roger Meyer. There's also a fair number of donations from a guy named "cash," with a lowercase 'C'. As in, no name attached.
Write-in candidate Mohamed Said lists negative-$236. No reports are online yet from the campaign of City Council Member Dai Thao.
WARD 2
The "Friends of Rebecca Noecker" list $26,000 in expenditures, leaving $35,000 in cash on hand. That's not chump change, but "A Lot Of People Supporting Darren Tobolt" has spent $31,000 to date, leaving an account balance of $33,000. That's a lot of money, too, relative to most ward races.
Democracy.
In recent days, Noecker's campaign friends have included Federation of St. Paul Police President Dave Titus; school board member Jean O'Connell; developer John Rupp; Stephanie Rupp, president of the St. Paul Athletic Club; real estate broker Chuck Repke; the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee; attorney Fred Pritzker and his wife Renee; developer Jim Crockarell; developer Dave Brooks, and state Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. From earlier filings, there's a whole host of donations from professionals in nonprofit and medical circles, among other industries, many of them from outside the ward and even out of state.
Tobolt's campaign has drawn from such diverse donor sources as Mary Cathryn Ricker, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers; school board member John Brodrick; Comcast lobbyist Emmett Coleman, who is also the mayor's brother; fellow mayoral sibling Patrick Coleman; former city council legislative aide Ellen Biales; former gubernatorial spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci; St. Paul Saints vice president Tom Whaley; the AFSCME Council 5 Political Action Committee; the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters; St. Paul Firefighters Local 21; the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation; and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi.
Democracy.
There's a total of six candidates who have filed to run in Ward 2, but no campaign finance filings on hand yet from perennial candidate Sharon Anderson, art gallery owner Bill Hosko, handyman Pat Fearing and Michael C. Johnson, who works in freight shipping.
WARD 3
City Council Member Chris Tolbert has more than $13,000 in campaign cash on hand, and no challengers on record.
WARD 4
City Council President Russ Stark reports spending $7,800 -- including $3,400 since Jan. 1 -- leaving an account balance of $3,100 as of Aug. 3. His challenger, attorney Tom Goldstein, jumped in the race at the end of June.
Stark's 40-some-odd donors include political organizer and nonprofit manager Lori Stee; the Minnesota Nurses Association; the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee; Marvin Plakut, CEO of Episcopal Homes; Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development spokeswoman Carol Walsh; Midway Chamber of Commerce Director Chad Kulas; attorney Brian Alton; and Metropolitan Council member Jon Commers.
Democracy.
Goldstein reports spending $3,400, leaving an account balance of $1,600. His 23 donors include UCFW Local 1189 retail/healthcare/manufacturing labor organizer Bernie Hesse; renewable energy and conservation lobbyist Don Arnosti; school board member John Brodrick; state Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul; and software developer Jim Ivey.
WARD 5
Council Member Amy Brendmoen has raised about $19,000 since Jan. 3 and spent about $18,000 of it to date. That still leaves her with an account balance of about $18,000 after factoring in donations from 2014 and leftovers from her last campaign.
Recent "Neighbors for Brendmoen" donors include Shirley Erstad, president of the Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County; St. Paul Parks Director Mike Hahm; Bill Huepenbecker, the planning director at the St. Paul RiverCentre; the North Central Council of Carpenters; school board member Jean O'Connell; Como Dockside owner Jon Oulman; real estate developer Rich Pakonen; District 2 Planning Director Chuck Repke; Council Member Russ Stark; civic booster Jeanne Weigum; the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee; St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman's campaign; the Local 49 Engineers PAC; and the St. Paul Fire Supervisory Association.
Dave Sullivan-Nightengale doesn't want your money.
The "Friends for David Glass" campaign reports spending a total $43,000 -- including about $30,000 since Jan. 1. -- leaving $6,000 in cash on hand. Donors include teacher Roy Magnuson; St. Paul Police Federation President Dave Titus; the St. Paul Police Federation; disabilities activist Rick Cardenas; William Moyers, a vice president with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation; city of Crystal, Minn. police records worker Kristine Fletcher (wife of former Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher); jeweler Mark Moeller; and civic activist Linda Winsor, a consultant with the Metro Independent Business Alliance.
There's also a $5,000 loan to the campaign from David and Pamela Glass. That's on top of thousands of dollars in "loans to campaign friends" from the Glasses and "like-kind contributions," also from the Glasses. (Say what?)
Independence Party candidate David Sullivan-Nightengale reports giving his campaign $300 and spending $12 on bank fees, leaving $288 in the hopper.
WARD 6
Council Member Dan Bostrom reports spending $5,000 since Jan. 1, leaving $21,000 in the kitty. Bostrom's contributors include AFSCME Council 5, Steamfitters-Pipefitters Local 455, Teamsters Local Union 120 and the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee.
No reports online yet from challengers Kevin Bradley or Ed Davis.
WARD 7
Candidate Jane Prince reports spending nearly $20,000 since Dec. 31, leaving $2,634 in the hopper. Contributors including the political action committees of AFSCME and WomenWinning; Ramsey County Attorney John Choi; Robert and Linda Mack of MacDonald and Mack Architects; Phil Platt, executive director of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild; city attorney Anthony Tedesco; former City Council Member Melvin Carter III; and Marie Failinger, dean of law at Hamline University law school.
Prince has no challengers on record.
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