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“This should be dead-clear proof that
money does not win elections,” former
Wake Forest Commissioner Rob Bridges
said this week about November’s results.
He was the most successful
fund-raiser of the five town board
candidates, raising $23,700.91 with a
number of large contributions, but he
placed fourth in the balloting.
Meanwhile the two successful
candidates, Frank Drake and Margaret
Jones Stinnett, raised and spent
$6,209.15 and $4,031, respectively, with
the bulk of their money coming from
people who donated $100 or less.
The other commissioner
running for re-election was Chris
Malone, who came close to Bridges in the
money race, raising $19,140.
The fifth candidate was
Chris Kaeberlein, who specified when
filing that he would not raise or spend
more than $3,000. Mayor Vivian Jones,
who was running unopposed for her second
term, also did not raise more than
$3,000 and used yard signs left from her
first run for the office in 2001.
The final campaign finance
reports for the November election were
due at the Wake County Board of
Elections on Friday, Jan. 27, and the
complete file for Wake Forest was copied
by the Gazette on Monday.
The bulk of the money raised
by Bridges and Malone, over 90 percent
for each, came from developers,
homebuilders, realtors and others with
interests in the town’s growth.
In an e-mail this week,
Drake said, “I let it be known that I
wasn’t particularly interested in
contributions greater than about $100
from anyone, but I recall Harry Mitchell
gave me something like $500 personally.
I recall something less than that from
Andy Ammons, but otherwise I recall no
other developer/builder/engineering
types beating down the door offering me
money.” Mitchell is the lead engineer
with the local office of the engineering
firm of Bass, Nixon & Kennedy, and
Ammons is the developer of Heritage Wake
Forest.
Bridges, Drake and Stinnett
received $100 each from the Democratic
Women of Wake County. Wake Forest town
elections are nonpartisan, but party
affiliations were evident early on.
Malone is a Republican.
“I am very surprised at my
success at fund-raising,” Bridges said.
On the other hand, he said, “You really
shouldn’t have to set out to raise
$25,000 for a local campaign.”
Drake’s success, Bridges
said, was because he really worked hard,
knocking on doors and talking to people.
“I pat him on the back every time I see
him.” Drake’s success should also
encourage other people who want to run
for office, Bridges said.
Bridges has $10,924.85 left
in his campaign kitty, and he is not
sure what he intends to do with it in
the future. For the moment it will
remain frozen in the Suntrust bank
account.
“I still think I have a lot
left to offer, whether it be with the
town or something else,” Bridges said.
He will use the money if he decides to
run for another office and if not, “I
will most likely turn it over to some
charity, probably some local charity.”
Malone also has money left
in his campaign fund, $2,483.20. In an
e-mail, he said the account is now
inactive and he will decide what to do
with the money “after I determine what’s
next for me.”
Both Drake and Stinnett
zeroed out their campaign accounts after
paying all the campaign bills.
Drake repaid his wife,
Kathryn Drake, a local attorney,
$1,333.38 of the $1,500 she had advanced
him for the campaign. Drake also said
she had dissuaded him from financing the
campaign himself.
Stinnett donated $315.38 to
the Ruby Reid Child Development Center
to clear out her campaign account.
All of the following totals
and donations were taken from the final
financial reports filed with the Wake
County Board of Education or, in one
instance, from information from the
candidate. The reported donations do not
in all cases agree with the reported
totals.
Bridges’ donors
Bridges collected $1,649 in
donations of $100 or less from
individuals.
He received $4,000 from two
groups: $3,000 from the North Carolina
Realtors PAC in Greensboro and $1,000
from the N.C. Home Builders Association
in Raleigh.
The amounts and the
individuals who each gave him more than
$100 for a total of $17,950 were:
- $150 from Priscilla Rolls
of Wake Forest who is developing family
land
- $500 from Andy Ammons
- $250 from Arthur Kepes of
Aiken, S.C., a developer with WRS Realty
that built Wal-mart
- $250 from Stephen W.
Rainer of Aiken, a developer with WRS
Realty
- $500 from Dan Tingen of
Garner, a builder with Tingen
Construction
- $500 from Lyle D. Gardner
of Raleigh, a builder with Spectrum
Homes
- $500 from Carl F. Weisner
of Raleigh, a builder with Olde South
Homes
- $400 from Otto E.
Schumacher of Wake Forest, who is
retired
- $150 from Thomas G.
Walters of Wake Forest who has the
Allstate Insurance agency in town
- $125 from Jeffrey W. Akin
of Raleigh, a developer with Sterling
Properties
- $200 from Sue Holding of
Wake Forest, who is retired
- $150 from Todd Warrick of
Wake Forest, the branch manager of
Suntrust Bank
- $400 from Donald G. Stroud
of Wake Forest, the manager of
Hartsfield & Nash Insurance
- $250 from Michael L.
Hendren, a business investor with the
Hendren Investment Group
- $250 from T. Scott Smith
of Aiken, a developer with WRS Realty
- $2,000 from J.D. Goldston
of Raleigh, a developer with the
Millridge Companies
- $400 from Charles L. Grant
of Wake Forest, a developer with Grant
Properties
- $4,000 from Jim Adams of
Wake Forest, a developer with Millridge
Companies
- $1,425 from Gayle Adams of
Wake Forest from a fund-raising event
- $1,000 from James Warren
of Wake Forest, an attorney with Warren,
Perry & Anthony
- $250 from Ricky Wright of
Wake Forest, owner of the Electric Motor
Shop
- $300 from Thelma Wright of
Wake Forest, who is retired and is Ricky
Wright’s mother
- $250 from Charles L.
Grantham Jr. of Raleigh, who is in
construction with Grantham & Associates
- $500 from Mark A. Mitchell
of Raleigh, whose company is Mitchell’s
Hairstyling
- $1,000 from Jane Wright of
Wake Forest, listed as not employed, and
is Ricky Wright’s wife
- $500 from Jenny Wright of
Wake Forest, the manager of the Electric
Motor Shop
- $250 from Richard T.
Monteith Jr., a former mayor who is now
a realtor with Monteith Enterprises
- $500 from William Harry
Mitchell Jr., a civil engineer with the
local office of Bass, Nixon & Kennedy
- and $1,000 from Ramona C.
Green of Raleigh, listed as not
employed, who is the wife of Barry
Green, an owner of Thee Doll House in
Raleigh.
Drake’s donors
Drake had contributions of
$2,667.65 in contributions of $100 or
less, which included in-kind donations
of food for various campaign events.
His donors gave $3,341.50
and were:
- $2,053 from Kathryn S.
Drake, his wife, of which $53 was food
- $110 from Susan A. Blevins
of Wake Forest, a paralegal with Kathryn
Drake’s law firm and the treasurer for
the campaign, of which $10 was food
- $134.50 from Charline Tice
of Wake Forest, retired, of which $34.50
was food and ice
- $500 from William Harry
Mitchell of Wake Forest, an engineer
with Bass, Nixon & Kennedy
- $200 from George B. Autry
of Wake Forest, an attorney with
Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, a firm of
attorneys
- $200 from Ruth Ann Dyer of
Wake Forest, a realtor with Fonville
Morrisey
- $144 from William H.
Howard of Wake Forest, retired, of which
$44 was food
- $250 from Andy Ammons of
Wake Forest, an engineer with Ammons
Development
- and $250 from Don Stroud
of Wake Forest, manager of Hartsfield &
Nash insurance agency.
Malone’s donors
Malone reported $1,065 in
contributions of $100 or less.
He collected $4,500 from
three political organizations: $3,000
from the N.C. Realtors PAC in
Greensboro, $1,000 from the N.C. Home
Builders Association in Raleigh and $500
in a contribution listed as paired from
the McHenry for Congress Campaign in
Hickory.
Malone reported $13,525 in
donations of over $100, which were:
- $1,000 from Bob Neeb of
Wake Forest, CEO of Diazit
- $1,250 from Ricky Wright
of Wake Forest, owner of the Electric
Motor Shop
- $1,000 from Andy Ammons of
Wake Forest, head of Ammons Development
Group
- $250 from Charles Grant of
Wake Forest, a developer with Grant
Properties
- $150 from Priscilla Rolls
of Wake Forest, who is developing local
family land
- $1,000 from Bob Luddy of
Wake Forest, the CEO of Captive-Aire
- $125 from Jeff Akin of
Raleigh, listed as a residential builder
- $250 from Dick Monteith of
Wake Forest, a realtor with Monteith
Enterprises
- $250 from Michael Hendren
of Wake Forest, a business investor with
Hendren Investment Group
- $1,000 from Antoinette
Schildge of Middletown, N.J., Malone’s
grandmother
- $500 Harry Mitchell of
Wake Forest, an engineer with Bass,
Nixon & Kennedy
- $650 from James Warren of
Wake Forest, an attorney with Warren,
Perry & Anthony
- $1,000 from Jim Adams of
Wake Forest, a developer with Millridge
Companies
- $400 from Don Stroud of
Wake Forest, owner of Hartsfield & Nash
insurance agency
- $2,500 from Michael
Malone, the candidate’s brother
- $300 from Thelma Wright,
retired
- $150 from Todd Warrick of
Wake Forest, the branch manager for
SunTrust Bank
- $150 from Thomas Walters
of Wake Forest, a former commissioner
and manager of the Allstate Insurance
agency
- $500 from Daryl Cady of
Wake Forest, owner of Cady Construction
- $250 from Keiran Shanahan
of Raleigh, a former city council member
- $250 from Ramona Green of
Raleigh, whose husband, Barry, is an
owner of Thee Doll House
- $250 from John R. Ray of
Raleigh
- $250 from Mark Mitchell of
Raleigh, owner of Mitchell’s Hairstyling
- and $250 from Martin
Nassif of Wake Forest.
Stinnett’s donors
Stinnett reported $2,650 in
donations of $100 or less, and she had
$1,281 in larger donations, which were:
- $200 from James S. Warren
of Wake Forest, an attorney with Warren,
Perry & Anthony
- $200 from Richard T.
Monteith of Wake Forest, a realtor with
Monteith Enterprises
- $250 from Donald G. Stroud
Jr. of Wake Forest, agent with
Hartsfield & Nash insurance agency
- $131 from Edward A.
Ridpath of Fuquay-Varina, who donated
the value of hosting the web site and
the domain name
- $150 from George B. Autry
of Wake Forest, an attorney with
Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, a firm of
attorneys
- $150 from Joseph M. Ludas
of Wake Forest, the publisher of the
Forensic Press
- $200 from Sue E. Anthony
of Wake Forest, an attorney with Warren,
Perry & Anthony
Four years ago the big spenders won
Four years ago, Jones,
Bridges and Malone won election after
raising and spending over $11,000 each.
The only successful
candidate who spent less was
builder/developer David Camacho, who had
$5,732 in donations. He was third in the
balloting behind Bridges and Malone and
was appointed to fill Jones’ seat.
Jones raised $11,269 in her
successful run against the incumbent
mayor, George Mackie, and incumbent
Commissioner Boyce Medlin. Mackie
reported spending $4,500 for a
last-minute write-in campaign, and
Medlin’s report had not been filed with
the board of elections late in January.
Bridges was the most
successful fund-raiser with $11,644 in
donations.
Malone raised and spent
$11,046.
Most of the money for the
2001 campaigns came from those people
most interested in the town’s growth –
developers, realtors and local business
interests.
In 2003, the amounts were less
In 2003, Wake Forest voters
elected three commissioners from a slate
of four.
Commissioner Stephen
Barrington led the balloting and also
led in fund-raising with a total of
$9,869.
Commissioners David Camacho
and Velma Boyd-Lawson won re-election
with far skimpier war chests, $6,402.28
and $6,100, respectively.
Mark Traveis, the
unsuccessful candidate, raised $1,935.
The list of contributor
names is very similar to this year’s
election and the election in 2001. For
the full story, you can go the archives
and select the Feb. 4, 2004, edition of
the Gazette. |
