Lowndes County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide Republican runoffs in the tax assessor and District 1 supervisor race, and fundraising in both raises remains relatively low.
Candidates in party primary runoffs for county offices were required to file campaign finance reports with the circuit clerk by 5 p.m. Tuesday. The reports note contributions and expenditures from July 30-Aug. 19, and candidates are required to itemize individual donations or spending of more than $200.
In the District 1 supervisor race, Michael Brock reported $882 in contributions during the reporting period, of which $482 was itemized. Brock’s filing with the Lowndes County Circuit Clerk’s Office did not initially include a list of donors. When contacted by The Dispatch he said the omission was accidental and provided the list via email.
Itemized donations included $250 from Anthony and Karen Harrell and $232 from Jerry and Barbara Harrell.
Brock reported spending $685.
Brock reports $2,307 in total fundraising, with a cash-on-hand balance of negative-$4,501.
Matt Furnari showed no fundraising, and $2,198 in spending. He reported negative-$5,663 in cash on hand.
Brock placed first with 897 votes to Furnari’s 648, leaving neither with the required 50%-plus-one-vote majority needed to win outright.
Kevin Clark got 261 votes.
The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Tommy Lee Kidd in the Nov. 7 general election.
In the tax assessor’s race, Diane Stephens told The Dispatch she is self-funding her campaign, and has done no outside fundraising. She reported $3,374 in expenditures, with year-to-date expenditures of $16,944. Stephens reports no cash on hand.
Kalee Talley reported raising $570, all of which was non-itemized. She reports $5,036 of total fundraising, with no cash on hand. She reported no spending.
Talley got 2,729 votes in the primary, with Stephens pulling in 2,063. Maci Griffin got 1,571 votes.
There is not a Democratic challenger, meaning whoever wins the runoff wins the office.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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