ASHEVILLE – Three City Council candidates have taken an early fundraising lead that could propel them to victory, a Citizen-Times analysis shows.
The top money raisers were Vice Mayor Marc Hunt, the only incumbent in a field of 15; environmental nonprofit director Julie Mayfield; and defense attorney Corey Atkins, according to midyear campaign finance reports filed recently with Buncombe County Elections Services. The three raised a combined total of more than $50,000 by June 30.
Top donors included a Democratic state senator, developers and current council members.
While still more than a month away from the Oct. 6 primary, money may already be an important determiner, based on an analysis of the past two elections. Since 2011, the top fundraisers at this point in the race, with one exception, went on to win.
The role of money in elections is complicated. Several local politicians decried the need for campaign cash while recognizing its importance. One candidate, Lavonda Nicole Payne, bluntly called it “winning through greed.” Others said it can serve as a legitimate barometer of public support.
State Sen. Terry Van Duyn is the top donor so far with $2,500 spread among four candidates: Hunt, Mayfield and Lindsey Simerly each got $500 donations; Keith Young received $1,000. The Buncombe County Democrat said she doesn’t like money’s influence, but also knows candidates need it to get their names in front of voters through advertising and other means.
“It’s frustrating to me how many people I think would make excellent candidates who aren’t willing to do it because they see how much it would cost,” she said.
Top fundraisers
Hunt’s campaign committee had raised $22,289 — though $4,000 of it was from a personal loan to his own campaign. The committee later repaid him through donations. A retired program officer at the land conservation nonprofit Open Space Institute, Hunt is running for his second term.
His donations came from a broad range of people, many in the $100 range. Donors included neighborhood activists, those involved with the development industry and Sheriff Van Duncan. His biggest single donation was $1,000 from Mack Pearsall, president of Pearsall Operating Co.
Mayfield’s campaign had raised $17,741. She is a co-director of the MountainTrue nonprofit that has advocated for the end of burning coal for power. Her biggest donations were $1,000 each from Pearsall and Atlanta retiree Annette Mayfield
Atkins, a Mount Airy native and former Mecklenburg County assistant district attorney, had raised $10,567. His biggest single donation was $1,200 from Chicago psychologist Angela Castellani. He also got $1,000 from Mount Airy retiree Bobby Atkins and another $1,000 from attorney Bill Brazil. Atkins recently joined Brazil’s law firm.
Money-winner link
The 2011 race featured nine candidates. By late summer and early fall, the three top fundraisers were Hunt, who was running for his first term and had $13,521; Lael Gray with $6,744; and Chris Pelly with $5,552.
Incumbent Jan Davis had $3,592.
Mark Cates had $10,054, though most of that came from personal loans to his campaign rather than from donors.
Hunt and Pelly went on to win. Davis, meanwhile, edged by Gray with 35 votes.
In 2013, the pattern repeated. Of the eight candidates, the top early fundraisers were Cecil Bothwell with $17,937, Gordon Smith with $15,192, Gwen Wisler with $6,837 and mayoral candidate Esther Manheimer with $24,790.
All won their races.
A necessary endeavor?
Few candidates said they were enthused about raising money.
Hunt said he would prefer a system of publicly financed elections to “level the playing field.”
“But I don’t expect it to change soon, so candidates that want to compete effectively simply must raise money to get their messages out. I wish it were not that way,” he said.
Still, he said the problem is not so bad in city elections. In races for the state House or Senate, candidates now sometimes raise hundreds of thousands of dollars or even $1 million.
Atkins agreed with the idea of public financing at the state and federal level. But not in local elections. He said that money in council elections, for example, can serve as a barometer of public support. Donations of $50 or lower are common, he noted.
“On the local level, I think it’s more of a support system and gives people a sense of viability,” he said. “I think the number of donations is probably every bit as important as the amount.”
Mayfield could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Left out?
Three candidates at this point have said they plan to raise no more than $1,000: Grant Millin, Payne and Richard Liston. That means by law they don’t have to file detailed campaign finance documents.
Payne, a 23-year-old truck driver who said she has spent some time homeless, was the strongest fundraising critic. She said she’s gotten letters from groups and individuals offering donations, but she’s thrown them out. Payne said she could not remember who sent them.
“Honestly, with the power that these people do have — they have resources, they know people in the community. They ultimately could get that money flipped and turned into something. Why not open a youth center?”
Her campaigning has consisted primarily of approaching people, often at the gas station, and telling them she’s a candidate, Payne said.
Liston, a former computer science professor and software engineer, said he felt technology could erase any monetary advantage. Computer science and computer networking are the real keys now to campaigning, he said.
“I’m not worried in the least about spending almost no money on a campaign. I don’t think it’s necessary. I think I’m going to be demonstrating how to apply knowledge to running an efficient campaign,” he said.
Millin said he might eventually change his designation and raise more than $1,000. But in general, he said a focus on fundraising does not help the political process.
The management consulting business owner said he’s not impressed by the types of messages he hears from well-funded campaigns, and more money spent doesn’t seem to cause a surge in voter turnout.
Also, he said, those without much personal wealth face a barrier. They tend not to have wealthy friends or attract wealthy donors and don’t have enough money to give their own campaigns a boost, Millin said.
“Few people with significant net worth are excited about people they can’t identify with getting more power. That’s why there are few if any renters getting elected to office at any level.”
Corey Atkins
Total raised: $10,567
Notable contributors
• $1,200: Chicago psychologist Angela Castellani
• $100: Attorney and former Marion City Councilman Michael Edwards
• $100: All Souls Cathedral minister Thomas Murphy
• $200: Attorney and former mayor Lou Bissette
• $1,000: Attorney Bill Brazil
• $100: Attorney and former vice mayor Eugene Ellison
• $100: Asheville public defender’s office investigator Josh Millsaps
• $1,000: Retiree Bobby Atkins of Mount Airy
(Spent $3,064: includes: $1,041 to Juliana Grassia for folders and envelopes and other undisclosed costs; and $15 to the Buncombe County Bar Association for a membership list.)
Marc Hunt
Total raised: $22,289 (Includes $4,000 Hunt loaned to his campaign. He was repaid the full amount in campaign contributions.)
Notable contributors:
• $250: Attorney and former mayor Lou Bissette
• $100: Brooks Engineering President and former Planning and Zoning Commission chairman Mark Brooks
• $150: Charlotte Street neighborhood activist Grace Curry
• $250: City Councilman Jan Davis
• $100: Mountain Housing Opportunities Director Scott Dedman
• $250: Buncombe County Attorney Bob Deutsch
• $100: Asheville Tourists President Brian DeWine
• $100: Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan
• $100: Asheville Design Center member Bruce Emory
• $200: Community Lifestyle Mosaic Realty owner Mike Figura
• $250: Pink Dog Creative co-owner Hedy Fischer
• $308: Marc Hunt
• $250: Former Buncombe County commissioner David King
• $250: Retired Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce president Rick Lutovsky
• $200: Retiree Ron Manheimer, father of Mayor Esther Manheimer
• $100: Buncombe County Commissioner Brownie Newman
• $100: Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority Chairman Bhagwanji Patel
• $1,000: Mack Pearsall, president of Pearsall Operating Co.
• $400: UNC Asheville Vice Chancellor for Finance John Pierce
• $500: Delphi Development owner Harry Pilos
• $100: Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association Executive Director Mike Rottjakob
• $100: Asheville Adventure Rentals owner Derek Turno
• $500: State Sen. Terry Van Duyn
• $100: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville minister Mark Ward
• $100: Hotel owner John Winkenwerder
• $250: City Councilwoman Gwen Wisler
• $100: French Broad River Academy Director Will Yeiser
• $100: Chris Pelly for City Council committee
• $100: Committee to Elect Gordon Smith
(Spent $10,272. Includes: $4,000 in loan repayments to Marc Hunt; $1,514 to Paul Choi and the Choi Group for design, photography, poster, website design and implementation; and $1,899 to Mail Management Services for invitations)
Rich Lee
Total raised: $9,091
Notable contributors:
• $1,250: Charlotte retiree Sandra D. Lee
• $300: Bonfire Barbecue owner Jeffrey Barcelona
• $316: Teacher Kylie Birdsong
• $925: Consultant Lynn Brailsford
• $917: Rich Lee
• $250: Seniors Helping Seniors owner Robert Patterson
• $1,000: Retiree Laura Thomas
• $600: Bothwell for Council committee
(Spent $7,202. Includes: $1,000 to Josh Fernandez of Waynesville for undisclosed reasons; $1,000 to Hayley Lampkin for campaign management; $158 to the North Carolina Democratic Party for database access; and $1,000 to Lauren Noto for campaign management)
Julie Mayfield
Total raised: $17,741
Notable contributors:
• $500: Astronomy Club of Asheville President Bernard Arghiere
• $261: Green Sage Cafe co-owner Roger Derrough
• $250: Biltmore Oil Vice President Martha Jane Eblen
• $250: Asheville Design Center member Bruce Emory
• $500: Community Lifestyle Mosaic Realty owner Mike Figura
• $250: Southern Environmental Law Center attorney D.J. Gerken
• $250: Former Buncombe County commissioner David King
• $100: Retiree Ron Manheimer, father of Mayor Esther Manheimer
• $1,000: Atlanta retiree Annette Mayfield
• $1,000: Mack Pearsall, president of Pearsall Operating Co.
• $100: Architect Jim Samsel
• $500: State Sen. Terry Van Duyn
• $250: Former state representative Jane Whilden
• $550: Retiree S. Miller Williams
• $250: Cindy for Schools committee
(Spent $8,764. Includes: $100 to Brian Turner for N.C. House committee; $580 to Allison O. Adams of Decatur, Georgia, for website design; $1,076 to Graphics Four Inc. for kickoff party invitations and campaign cards; $1,018 to Green Sage Cafe for a kickoff event; $982 to Lightning Bolt Inc. for T-shirts; $150 to North Carolina Democratic Party database access; $500 to The Choi Group for logo design; $1,100 to Sue Wasserman for campaign work and communications support
Carl Mumpower
Total raised: $1,600 (Includes a $500 Mumpower loaned his campaign)
Notable contributors:
• $1,000: Architect Danie Johnson
(Spent $91)
Lindsey Simerly
Total raised: $5,449
Notable contributors:
• $430: FLS Energy Business Development Associate Veronika Gunter
• $500: ABB engineer David Macy
• $300: Freedom to Marry Deputy Digital Director Adam Polaski of Astoria, New York
• $1,500: Pisgah Legal Services Medical Legal Partnership Liaison Parker Sloan
• $500: State Sen. Terry Van Duyn
• $664: Committee to Elect Gordon Smith
• $100: Chris Pelly for City Council committee
(Spent $936. Includes $886 of in-kind contributions)
Keith Young
Total raised: $1,150
Notable contributors:
•$1,000: State Sen. Terry Van Duyn
(Spent $679)
Will not spend over $1,000
Candidates Richard Liston, Grant Millin, Lavonda Nicole Payne certified that they will not raise or spend more than $1,000 and therefore won’t by law have to give detailed campaign finance information.
No recent financial information
Candidates Joe Grady, Brian Haynes, John Miall, Ken Michalove, Holly Shriner and Dee Williams were not required to submit midyear finance reports because they didn’t have campaign committees before June 30. Shriner has since dropped out of the race.
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