Democrat Stephen Jones may have raised the most third-party money among the city’s mayoral candidates, but independent Bill Strauss is, by far, running the most expensive campaign ahead of Tuesday’s general election.
Strauss indicates $42,961 in contributions this year on a campaign finance report he submitted Wednesday to the city registrar’s office. That was a day later than Tuesday’s statutory deadline.
However, Strauss confirmed to The Dispatch that he forgot to list more than $38,000 that came from his own pocket, and he intends to submit an amended report to the registrar as soon as possible.
“I have self-funded basically my whole campaign,” Strauss said.
By comparison, Jones reported raising $27,536 and independent Darren Leach $7,925.08 – entirely from third parties – on campaign finance forms they submitted by Tuesday’s deadline.
Candidates are required to file campaign finance reports periodically and itemize contributions and expenses in excess of $200.
Strauss’ report notes $40,965 in itemized donations, but he lists only $2,700 worth. Those include $500 each from Dan Dabbs, Shayne McMahon and Andrew Benton; $400 from Susan Forrester; $300 from Randy Reid; and $250 each from Tealeah Carter and Robert Benton.
He also reported $1,996 in non-itemized contributions, which left a balance of $38,265 of self-funding unreported.
Strauss has spent $33,755 and has $9,206 on hand.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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