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Campaign finance reports sit on a table inside the Johnson County Voter Registration office on Tuesday in Franklin.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series analyzing campaign finance reports for contested offices in Johnson County. This story analyzes local offices — county and school boards. A story looking at Indiana Statehouse races was published in Friday’s Daily Journal and can be found online at dailyjournal.net. Another story looking at how residents in Johnson County zip codes are supporting the two major party candidates for president will be published in Tuesday’s newspaper.
Some local candidates are raising a few thousand dollars while others are raising a few hundred or little at all in the final stretch before the Nov. 5 election.
This year, voters across Johnson County have candidates on the ballot from all levels. Along with federal and statewide offices, local offices include two commissioner seats, county council at-large, coroner, surveyor, treasurer, Superior Court 1 judge, the Prince’s Lakes Town Council and all six public school boards.
Only a few of these offices are contested: county commissioner District 3, county council at-large, Superior Court 1 judge and the Center Grove, Franklin, Greenwood and Indian Creek school boards.
Campaign finance reports filed earlier this month show political action committees, businesses and individual donors are doling out cash to boost their chosen candidates as they try to win votes. Campaign spending is generally looked at as a measure of the amount of support for a particular candidate.
These reports include both direct contributions to candidates, such as a direct financial donation to a campaign, and in-kind contributions, which are typically goods or services offered free or discounted charge.
The Daily Journal looked at campaign finance report filings covering April 13 to Oct. 11, the end of the pre-election reporting period. Here’s what local filings showed.
County Council at-large
For the Republicans running for the Johnson County Council, Ron Bates has been the biggest fundraiser so far.
Bates started the period with $732.71, raising $8,100. He and his wife gave his campaign $7,500, also receiving a $500 contribution from WinRed, according to filings.
Bates has spent $8,458.10, all on advertising. These expenses include T-shirts, signs, mailings and pens, filings show.
Michele Ann Graves, the county’s current treasurer, raised $30.95 — in-kind contributions coming from herself. She listed the same amount as being spent, according to filings.
Melinda Griesemer, a Republican incumbent, reported no contributions or expenses.
Of the three Democrats seeking three at-large nominations, Blythe Potter leads the pack in fundraising.
Potter started the filing period with $726.38 in the bank, receiving nearly $6,861. She gave her campaign $800, received a $250 individual donation, received $336.08 from a fundraising firm in Virginia, received $1,000 from the United Ford and Commercial Workers International Union, her filing shows.
She also received numerous via ActBlue totaling more than $3,701. Veterans For Indiana PAC gave $250 to her campaign, and the Indiana Stonewall Democrats gave $150, according to her filing.
She has spent nearly $6,748 through the end of the filing period, with $6,039 going to advertising, filings show. Other expenses were for operations, fundraising or contributions to other candidates.
Democrat Saad Tawfeeq raised $920 from 14 individual contributors, along with getting $500 from the Johnson County Democratic Party. He spent $400 on consulting services from Axel Campaign Consulting, according to his filing.
Democrat Michael Chiappetta raised $550, $50 from one individual contributor and $500 from the Johnson County Democratic Party. He spent $318.88 — $25 for a paid political letter in the Daily Journal and $288.88 for yard signs, according to his report.
Commissioner District 3
GOP incumbent Ron West hasn’t spent or raised funds in his reelection bid during this latest reporting period. He did report some debt for yard signs, advertising and other miscellaneous expenses but this was paid off, his filing shows.
Democrat Dr. Chele Heid has raised $8,244.24 after starting with a $0 balance. She received 12 individual contributions, including $50 from former Greenwood Mayor Margaret McGovern and her husband.
Seventeen contributions totaling $4,294.24 have also come to Heid’s campaign via ActBlue. The Johnson County Democratic Central Committee also gave Heid $250, according to her filing.
Heid has spent $2,788.49, with a majority, $2,782.76, being used for advertising. One other expense was for fundraising, the result of an ActBlue accounting error, her filing shows.
Superior Court 1 judge
Republican Brandi Foster Kirkendall had nearly $8,411 on hand at the start of the reporting period. She raised $100 from a single individual contribution, her filing shows.
As for expenses, she has spent $2,685.28 — with one expense for a Johnson County Fair sponsorship costing $750. The rest of the expenses went to the Johnson County GOP and sponsorships for local nonprofits, according to her filing.
Kirkendall’s opponent, Democrat Gloria Danielson, did not report raising or spending money.
Center Grove School Board
Incumbent Amy Counts received $950 in contributions — a $350 contribution from herself and a $600 in-kind contribution for yard signs from a Bargersville woman. Counts also reported a $350 expense for advertisement materials, according to her filing.
Fellow incumbent Rob Daniels received a $797.49 contribution from himself. He spent the same amount for signs and stickers, his filing shows.
Candidate Dr. Charity Flores received $3,773.84 in contributions, adding to the $100 she already had in her account. Two contributions totaling $498.84 were from herself, with another five contributions totaling $2,900 coming from other individuals, according to her filing.
Flores has made $3,873.17 in expenses, most of which, $3,206.27, went toward advertising. The rest was for operation expenses, her filing shows.
Candidate Nicole Kemp raised $4,001.30 — all of which came from 40 individual contributions and one corporation. Kemp gave her campaign $1,050, also receiving $48.06 from Potter and $252.08 from Johnson County Democrats chair Amanda Stevenson-Holmes.
Kemp spent $3,156.18, mostly on advertising — $3,084.43. Other expenses were for operations, according to the filing.
Candidate Robbie Williams did not file a report by the time the Daily Journal reviewed the reports earlier this week, after the filing deadline passed.
Franklin School Board
Debbie Gill, one of two running for the Franklin Township seat on the Franklin Community School Board, reported raising $5,792. She received five individual contributions, including $2,000 she gave her campaign, according to her filing.
Gill spent $5,140.45, of which nearly all — $2,614.80 — went to advertising. Monies also went toward reimbursing herself for the loan she gave her campaign and toward fundraising, her filing shows.
Her challenger, Maureen Burkardt, did not file a report by the time the Daily Journal reviewed the reports. The same goes for all four candidates seeking the two city of Franklin seats on the board — Jared Hoesel, Brett Jones, Jennifer Briggs Mann and Kristine Ott.
Greenwood School Board
The two candidates running for the District 3 seat on the Greenwood Community School Board have spent nearly the same amount of dollars for their campaigns.
Incumbent Chris Zaborowsky has raised $1,200.76 after starting with a $0 balance. He received three individual contributions, including $500.76 from himself.
He spent the entirety of the $1,200.76 on advertising, his filing shows.
Challenger Sheila Martin has raised $931.26, receiving five individual contributions — including $531.26 from herself. She used the entire $931.26 for signs, according to her filing.
Indian Creek School Board
For the Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson United school board, a.k.a. Indian Creek, none of the two candidates running for the Nineveh Township seat — Thomas Burgett and Brian Young — nor the three running for the two at-large seats — Cathy Cook, Tessa Dawn Key and Ed Harvey had filed reports by the time the Daily Journal reviewed them earlier this week after the deadline passed.
BY THE NUMBERS
Here is a look at how much was raised and spent in some of the contested races from mid-April through mid-October, based on October campaign finance reports:
County Commissioner: District 3
- Chele Heid (D): Raised $8,244.24; spent $$2,788.49
- Ronald H. “Ron” West (R): Raised $0; spent $3,567
County Council at-large
- Ronald “Ron” Bates (R): Raised $8,100; spent $8,458.10
- Michael F. Chiappetta (D): Raised $550; spent $318.88
- Michele Ann Graves (R): Raised $30.95; spent $30.95
- Melinda Griesemer (R): Raised $0; spent $0
- Blythe E. Potter (D): Raised $6,860.90; spent $6,747.86
- Saad Tawfeeq (D): Raised $920; spent $400
Superior Court 1 Judge
- Brandi Foster Kirkendall (R): Raised $200; spent $6,694.88
- Gloria J. Danielson (D): Raised $0; spent $0
Center Grove School Board at-large
- Amy Counts: Raised $950; spent $350
- Rob Daniels: Raised $797.49; spent $797.49
- Charity Flores: Raised $3,773.84; spent $3,873.17
- Nicole M. Kemp: Raised $4,001.30; spent $3,156.18
Franklin Comm. School Board: Franklin Township
- Deborah Lea “Debbie” Gill: Raised $5,792; spent $5,140.45
Greenwood Comm. School Board: District 3
- Christopher “Chris” Zaborowsky: Raised $1,200.76; spent $1,200.76
- Sheila Martin: Raised $931.26; spent $931.26
REPORTS NOT FILED
The following candidates did not have reports filed when the Daily Journal reviewed them this week:
- Robert “Robbie” Williams, Center Grove School Board at-large
- Jared L. Hoesel, Franklin Comm. School Board, City of Franklin seat
- Brett Jones, Franklin Comm. School Board, City of Franklin seat
- Jennifer Briggs Mann, Franklin Comm. School Board, City of Franklin seat
- Kristine M. Ott, Franklin Comm. School Board, City of Franklin seat
- Maureen Burkardt, Franklin Comm. School Board, Franklin Township seat
- Thomas A. Burgett, Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson School Board, Nineveh Township seat
- Brian Young, Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson School Board, Nineveh Township seat
- Cathleen “Cathy” Cook, Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson School Board at-large
- Tessa Dawn Key, Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson School Board at-large
- Ed Harvey, Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson School Board at-large