UPDATED: Bowers outraises Lucas in the race for Roanoke mayor … but who’s contributing?
David Bowers
Mark Lucas
Update at 5 p.m. with Bowers donor information.
Yesterday marked the deadline for candidates and elected officials to file campaign finance reports for the first quarter of 2012.
I was particularly interested to get our first real glimpse of fundraising in the Roanoke mayor’s race between Democratic incumbent David Bowers and Republican challenger Mark Lucas.
The reports didn’t appear until after I left work last night, however, so I didn’t get to see them until this morning.
For a political reporter, campaign finance reports offer a glimpse behind the curtain. I can see the outward signs of the campaigns in my daily routine — which neighborhoods are sporting who’s yard signs in numbers; who’s got the money to advertise on Valley Metro buses, run radio ads and send out glossy mailers. But the reports show who is giving the money behind those outward signs, as well as exactly how the campaigns are spending it.
In the first quarter, Bowers raised $74,700 in contributions and took another $8,000 in loans for a total of $82,700. He spent $69,307 and ended the period with a little more than $13,000 in cash on hand. Keep in mind this period also included his primary against Sam Rasoul.
The one thing missing from Bowers report right now is the Schedule A form. That lists the contributors who donated $100 or more. From his Statement of Funds, we can see that 59 different people or organizations contributed $69,050 — but until the Schedule A form shows up on the State Board of Election’s site, we can’t tell who those people or organizations are. I’ll try to post an update when that form goes up, or if I can obtain a copy from the Bowers campaign.
Update: Schedule A now appears on Bowers’ report. He’s got a series of donors who’ve given donations ranging between $100 and $1,000 — but the two big contributions that jump out come from Peter Via. He gave Bowers $25,000 during his primary contest against Rasoul, and he contributed another $25,000 to Bowers on March 22. Those two contributions alone account for $50,000, which nearly matches Lucas’ total all by itself.
As with Lucas, you can go to Bowers’ report to check out the complete list.
Lucas, meanwhile, raised $55,935 and spent $20,062 so he’s had just under $36,000 in cash on hand on March 31. He also received a fair share of contributors giving more than $100, raising $41,410 from 60 people or organization, as well as $10,000 in the form of “in-kind” contributions in the form of strategy and operational help from city Republicans Chris Walters and Adam Boitnott, who are serving more or less as campaign staff.
Lucas’ biggest single contribution came in the form of $15,000 from the Business Leadership Fund. You can see the full list by heading to his report and looking at Schedule A.
Tonight, Bowers and Lucas will debate at the Claude Moore Center at 109 Henry Street in an event moderated by Jay Warren of WSLS-Channel 10 and hosted by the Roanoke Branch NAACP. The debate begins at 7 p.m.
Two years ago, the NAACP debate with Warren moderating was by far the most chippy and contentious of all the council candidate forums. Of course, that debate included Bob Craig, Ray Ferris and Mike Powell — none of whom hesitated to throw verbal punches at each another when campaigning — but Warren also contributed by allowing and even encouraging the candidates to engage each other directly at times.
I’ll be posting live tweets (my Twitter handle is MasonAdamsRT if you want to follow me there) from the debate if you can’t make it but want to follow along, or you can just look for the story tomorrow.
– Mason Adams
April 17, 2012 - 11:09 AM
Hoping Lucas will outline some details of exactly what he would do as mayor.
Though I can appreciate his line about “we can do better” I’d like to know exactly how he plans to make Roanoke better.
How does he plan to create jobs?
The only talking points I have heard are “we can do better”(I agree, but how exactly?), “I will create more jobs” (again, how??), and “we need more lacrose fields and better maintained athletic fileds.”
Nothing wrong with wanting to improve athletic fields but, as a main platform for running for mayor, it is lacking.
There are many, many things that can be done to improve the city as a whole, but more lacrosse fields is a little lower on the priority list than some more pressing matters.
I am not wating to be overly critical of Lucas, because I like some of what I have heard, but he needs to outline and detail his plans more articulately if he wants to swing more voters in his direction.
Dylan visit his facebook page he outlined just that today. https://www.facebook.com/lucas4mayor
Will the debate be streamed anywhere?
@belle –
I’m not aware of any streaming, though that doesn’t mean it’s absolutely not happening somewhere.
I will be posting updates on my Twitter page, which then flows over to my Facebook page if you want to follow either of those.
Of course we’ll have a summary story tomorrow, too.
– Mason Adams
Lucas should run on “Hope and Change”…oh, wait.
K. I’ll catch updates on your FB. Thanks.
From Lucas’s responses it doesn’t sound like he knows what the job he is applying for entails. Does he know he is going to have to attend weekly council meetings? He is on record as indicating that he thinks sitting his fanny around a meeting table is not important.
Lucas said he thinks Countryside should be developed into a sports complex for regional tournaments, Didn’t Nelson Harris & City Council tear one down? Victory Stadium. Flemign High School, just down the street from Countryside, has a new stadium, track & athletic fields. Then Lucas says we should build a sports complex at Victory Stadium. Why don’t we just raise the entire city and make it one big sports complex since hockey & basketball did so well? NOT.
I collected the live tweets on Storify for those who don’t use Twitter. I did make a couple of typos on my tiny Blackberry keyboard, including Bowers’ name in the first reference, so I apologize ahead of time for those.
Again, link is here:
http://storify.com/MasonAdamsRT/naacp-mayoral-debate-4-17-2012
– Mason Adams
What does the post of mayor actually DO that could possibly necessitate a debate? We have stifling job loss, stagnant economic growth, growing social, cultural and environmental woes and we worry about a debate between two candidates running for a figure-head position that is to “serve as the city’s host at meetings and events”? Really?? Given the limited power of the mayor, isn’t this simply a waste of budget?
If we can all be productive members of society and let go of the silly stuff then maybe most of our ailments–and the need for the current monstrous government chaperone–would go away on their own…and we wouldn’t be wasting money on a debate without a cause.
I need something more than sports fields. A lot more…like plans to attract industry here? A vision for the downtown area? There’s only so much growth created by kids lacrosse. It’s not enough of a platform to make it to town council, much less mayor.
#8 I’m not all that sure about Lucas’ sports complex idea, but mj, Victory Stadium was NOT a “sports complex.” It was an oversized crumbling stadium with one field. Period
All the candidates need to write out their plan on how they will get Roanoke to sell more property to Carillon. Carillon is like Roanoke’s personal bailout program.
belle, when I drive down Jefferson and see all of the new lawns created by Carilion, then hear people calling for more athletic fields….there might be some symbiosis there.
I agree, Kristen.
Carilion: Roanoke’s leader in beautification.
gdad; Screaming “not”, does not make your statement accurate. Victory Stadium was part of a sports complex. I attended many football, baseball, softball, soccer, et al games there as well as playing tennis on the courts. They now call it Rivers Edge “Sports Complex”.