Democrats hold fundraising lead in all but one Mecklenburg County commissioner race
In the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners election, an at-large incumbent leads all candidates in fundraising and a Republican challenger in a district race is second.
At-large Democratic incumbent Leigh Altman has raised tens of thousands of dollars more than all other candidates, according to third quarter campaign finance reports. Altman raised $81,422.33 through Oct. 22.
District 1 Republican candidate Ross Monks came in second among all commissioners candidates, with $56,865.34 raised. Monks is the only Republican who’s outraised his Democratic opponent in the commissioner races, but his campaign coffers are bolstered by a loan and several thousand dollars he contributed himself.
The District 5 race is one of the most competitive and the closest in fundraising. Democratic incumbent Laura Meier is challenged by Republican Matthew Ridenhour who served on the board from 2012 to 2018. Third quarter reports show Meier has outraised Ridenhour by $12,696.07.
The third quarter report covered donations and expenses from July 1 to Oct. 22. Reports were due Nov. 1. Most candidates completed it on time, but some of their forms were not posted online or provided to The Charlotte Observer by Friday. Finance reports don’t show how an election will turn out, but they can provide insight into who supports a candidate.
District 6 Republican candidate Jeremy Brasch said did not upload reports because he raised less than the state’s $1,000 threshold to do so. District 4 Republican candidate Ray Fuentes told the Observer he had an emergency involving his dog and will submit his forms in person to the Mecklenburg County elections office Monday morning.
The 2022 midterm election is Tuesday. Polls will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Mecklenburg County residents can vote for their district representative and in the at-large race. District 2 Democratic incumbent Vilma Leake is the only unopposed candidate this election.
At-large Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners
Altman only saw a small percentage of her total come in this quarter: $1,505. The majority of her campaign’s money was raised in the first quarter.
The top donor to Altman’s campaign this quarter the Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County, which gave $500. The remaining contributions were less than $200.
Notable donors to her campaign since the start of the election include:
▪ Erin Barbee, senior vice president of DreamKey Partners: $200
▪ Fletcher Roberts, a Charlotte resident with no employment listed: $3,000
▪ Harry Lerner of Lerner and Co Real Estate: $2,000
▪ Patty Funderberg: a Charlotte resident with no employment listed: $1,000
▪ Barbara Bleiweiss, Soil and Water Supervisor candidate: $70
Altman’s campaign spent most of what she raised this election cycle — $80,342.51. Of that, she spent $3,542.27 spent this quarter. Her campaign spending included a $1,200 donation to the local Black Political Caucus, $1,800 to campaign manager Dan McCorkle, $250 to District 4 incumbent Mark Jerrell’s campaign and $150 on email marketing.
Democrat Arthur Griffin, Jr. was the second-highest fundraiser in the at-large race, with $31,439 raised during the campaign and $8,125 this quarter.
Donors this quarter to Griffin’s campaign include:
▪ Rep. Alma Adams’ campaign: $500
▪ Commercial Real Estate Political Action Committee: $1,000
▪ Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County: $500
▪ Raymond McGregor, senior vice president at Novant Health: $500
▪ Malcomb Coley, accountant at Ernst & Young: $1,000
Griffin’s campaign spent $35,423.18 this election, with $11,344.70 this quarter. Spending included a $1,200 donation to the Black Political Caucus, $1,500 to cater a fundraising event, $1,250 for a table sponsor for the Charlotte Post Scholarship Fund, $620 for palm cards, $800 on a video, $300 on balloons for a fundraiser, $3,300 in yard signs and $2,000 toward the United Negro College Fund Women Who Lead luncheon.
Democratic incumbent Pat Cotham raised $13,937 this election, with $1,520 coming in this quarter.
Donors this quarter to Cotham’s campaign include:
▪ Commercial Real Estate Political Action Committee: $1,000
▪ Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County: $500
Cotham’s campaign has spent $18,095.12 this election, but just $2,045.44 this quarter. Cotham’s campaign donated $1,200 to the Black Political Caucus, spent $250 for yard stakes for Vilma Leake’s campaign and bought about $140 worth of car magnets.
Republican at-large candidate Tatyana Thulien raised the least among at-large candidates — $7,042. All of it came in the third quarter, reports show.
Donors include:
▪ Mecklenburg County Republican Party: $200
▪ Neal Orr, consultant: $574.20
▪ Nonna Belovs, a manager from Matthews: $250
▪ Nikolai Stassenko, who works at Automax: $263.40
Thulien spent $4,181.94 this election operating expenditures. A detailed report of Thulien’s spending was not available on the county or state election board sites.
District 1
In the District 1 race, Monks is outraising Democratic incumbent Elaine Powell by a landslide. Powell has raised less than $2,000 compared to $56,865.34 from Monks, reports show. Powell came into the election with $3,680.77 on hand to add to her fundraising total.
Of the amount raised this election by Monks, $54,840.22 came in this quarter. Included in the amount is a loan for $25,000 that was reported this quarter.
Donors include:
▪ McGhie Allan of Fusion Partners Real Estate: $1,250
▪ John Aneralla, former Huntersville Mayor and owner of Bulldog Asset Management: $500
▪ Philip M. Henderson, president of Henderson Properties: $1,041.67
▪ Scott Littlejohn, investment banker at Deutsche Bank: $1,041.67
▪ Kevin Mahl, owner of Champion Tire and Wheel: $1,041.67
▪ Mecklenburg County Republican Executive Committee: $200
▪ Monks, to himself: $5,559.43
▪ North Mecklenburg Republican Women: $300
Monks has spent $32,229.29 so far this election, the majority of it this quarter. Campaign expenses include $4,000 for consulting, more than $2,300 for robo texts and calls, $750 for advertising in Cornelius Today, $11,000 on his website and digital strategy, $1,200 on shirts, $1,000 on stationery and $500 on “refreshments” from Eleven Lakes Brewery.
Powell raised $1,974 this election with $1,350 coming in this quarter.
Donors include:
▪ District 3 incumbent George Dunlap: $250
▪ Eugene Kiser, president and CEO of KIP Corporation, a general contractor: $200
▪ Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County: $500
Powell spent $2,372.65 this election, including $1,783.06 this quarter. Campaign expenses include $800 to the Black Political Caucus and $884 on yard signs.
District 3
District 3 Democratic incumbent George Dunlap, who is chair of the board, is raising much more than his Republican opponent, Dianna Benson. Dunlap has raised $35,317 this election. Benson has raised $375.
Of the money Dunlap’s campaign raised, just $1,500 came in this quarter.
The donors include:
▪ Darrell Campbell, self-employed: $500
▪ Jesse Cureton, administrator at Novant Health: $500
▪ Walter Price, attorney: $500
Dunlap has spent $8,376.67 this election and $2,411.93 this quarter. Expenses include $250 donations to Powell, Meier and Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, who are running for other district seats on the board. Dunlap also donated $200 to school board candidate Monty Witherspoon, $800 to the Black Political Caucus and $100 to Johnson C. Smith University athletics.
All of Benson’s $375 donations came in this quarter. It includes $25 from herself, $150 from retired Ken McCarty and $200 from the Mecklenburg County Republican Executive Committee.
Benson’s campaign spent $406.05 this election with the majority of it going to palm cards and printing. The remaining $35 went to Charlotte Mecklenburg Republican Women.
District 4
District 4 Democratic incumbent Mark Jerrell raised $19,620 this election, including $11,220 this quarter. Fuentes is filing his report late, but said his campaign did not seek donations from political action committees.
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Donors to Jerrell’s campaign include:
▪ Rep. Adams: $500
▪ Altman: $250
▪ Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham: $250
▪ George Dunlap: $250
▪ Todd Collins, property manager with Redhill Ventures: $2,500
Jerrell’s campaign has spent $22,011.89 this election, with $15,857.50 spent this quarter.
Expenses include $1,500 for yard signs, $350 for T-shirts, $2,250 for campaign consulting, $1,500 for campaign event catering, $1,800 for campaign entertainment and setup, $550 for photography, $7,000 for mailers and other campaign materials and $50 for a community engagement event at Original Pancake House. Jerrell also donated $150 to Rep. Adams’ campaign.
District 5
In the District 5 race, Democratic incumbent Meier has raised $29,701.44, with $14,755 coming in this quarter.
Donors this quarter include:
▪ Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County: $500
▪ Jennifer De La Jara, Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board member: $500
▪ Jeff Meier, owner of manufacturing company Oxco, Inc.: $5,000
▪ Susan Rodriguez-McDowell: $100
▪ Carol Sawyer, CMS board member: $100
Meier has spent $22,080.17 this election, with $18,141.10 in the final stretch.
Expenses include $5,000 for campaign manager John Crowell, $1,800 on printing and mailers, $738 for palm cards, $800 on Facebook advertising, $1,000 for design and social media, $150 for a website and $7,000 to The Meda Corporation for “media.” Meier’s campaign also donated $800 to the Black Political Caucus for palm cards.
Ridenhour has raised $17,005.37, with $11,714.37 coming in this quarter.
Not included in his third quarter report, Ridenhour told the Board of Elections on Nov. 3 he received $2,082.03 from Daniel Dimicco of Waxhaw.
Other donors include:
▪ Anne Hatcher, retired: $1,041.02
▪ Mecklenburg Republican Executive Committee: $200
▪ NC 14th Congressional District Republican Party: $400
▪ The John R. Bradford III Committee: $250
▪ Beth Zeiss, no occupation listed: $1,000
Ridenhour has spent $5,588.06 so far this election, the majority of it this quarter.
Expenses include $900 for signs, $700 for campaign consulting, $1,000 in Facebook advertising, $177 for email marketing, $125 for campaign supplies and $150 for meals for volunteers.
District 6
In District 6, Democratic incumbent Susan Rodriguez-McDowell has raised $21,233.14, with $17,635 coming in this quarter. She leads her opponent, Brasch, in fundraising by more than $20,000.
Donors include:
▪ Manuel Betancur, owner of Manolo’s Bakery: $400
▪ Barbara Bleiweis, Soil and Water Supervisor candidate: $125
▪ Dunlap: $250
▪ Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County: $500
▪ Former Charlotte City Councilman Larken Egleston: $100
▪ School board member De La Jara: $2,000
▪ Lisa Ellsworth for NC: $750
▪ Verena Martin, CEO of VRG Components: $1,000
▪ Carol Sawyer, CMS school board member: $100
▪ City Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera: $250
▪ CMS School board candidate Trent Merchant: $100
Rodriguez-McDowell spent $17,347.52 so far this election, including $15,404.51 this quarter.
Third quarter expenses include $10,000 on postcards and mailing services, $900 on campaign consulting, $2,100 on weekly ads in South Charlotte Weekly, $850 for voter list data and $680 on door hangers.
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 8:45 AM.
