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In
the sixth week of asking questions of the seven town board candidates, the
Gazette wants to know how they are funding their campaigns.
You
can hear the seven answer more questions Monday night, Oct. 15, at The Forks
Cafeteria at a forum sponsored by the Concerned Citizens for the Preservation
of Wake Forest Golf Club. Go at 6 p.m. to eat dinner and meet the candidates.
The sponsoring group will have a set a questions when the forum begins at 7
p.m. and afterward the floor will be open for your questions. The Forks is on
Brooks Street.
Commissioner
Velma Boyd has had to regret because she will be at the North Carolina League
of Municipalities conference where she is a voting delegate for the town. She
said she regrets not being able to attend the event. “I do welcome the opportunity to address any issues that they
may have; please contact me by calling 554-2293 or email me at vboyd1953@embarqmail.com.”
This issue of the Gazette includes
an article about the first forum, the one held by the Wake Forest Chamber of
Commerce Tuesday night, Oct. 9.
Commissioners Stephen Barrington,
Velma Boyd and David Camacho are at the end of their four-year terms.
Barrington has chosen not to run again; Boyd and Camacho are seeking
re-election.
The other candidates are Anne Hines
and John Shoemaker, planning board members Chris Kaeberlein and Peter Thibodeau
and former commissioner Rob Bridges.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 6. If you are
not registered to vote, you have until this Friday, Oct. 12, to do so. You will
find information about how and where to register at http://www.wakegov.com/elections.
The
July 25 and Aug. 1 editions of The Wake Forest Gazette have short biographies
and information about the candidates, and the candidates have been answering
questions about local concerns in each issue since Sept. 5.
Where do
you anticipate raising money for your campaign? What have been the sources of
funding you have already received? Who has hosted campaign events for you? How
are you spending the money you raise and how are you campaigning?
Chris
Kaeberlein
“I
do not believe that it is necessary or practical in Wake Forest to spend beyond
the $3,000 threshold; therefore, I am committed to funding my campaign in its
entirety for that amount or less. The money I have raised for my campaign
has been generously donated by family, friends and citizens who, like me, share
similar concerns about the recent growth of Wake Forest and the future we face
without a course change in town leadership. At this point, I have not had
any formal campaign events held for me, but expect to have a couple of events
hosted by close friends over the next few weeks.
“The money I have to spend on the campaign is being spent
on things such as flyers, signs, buttons, website hosting and advertisements. I
am campaigning at the grass-roots level by going door-to-door and meeting the
residents of Wake Forest. I believe that wearing out a pair of shoes is
the best way to spread my message and establish personal contact with voters.”
John Shoemaker
“I
anticipate primarily using my money to fund my campaign. To date, I have only
used personal funds for my campaign.
“I
have not yet had a campaign event.
“So
far campaign
funds have been spent on the filing fee, lawn signs, and the small domain
registration fee for my website, www.voteshoemaker.com.
“I
am campaigning by going to the Chamber Candidates Forum, the Community Forum at
the Forks on October 15. I am also using my website (above) to provide a source
of campaign information. Most importantly I am talking with residents at
town events and throughout the neighborhoods in Wake Forest. “
Peter
Thibodeau
“I am running a campaign with a small
budget but a large message. I can definitively state that I have not received
any donations from developers, builders, or those who come before the
Planning Board and Board of Commissioners. My thus far limited
campaign expenses have gone to purchasing signs and printing flyers. My
goal is to take my message to the people across Town in an active door-to-door
effort. I look forward to meeting as many voters as possible between now
and election day. As I receive increasing support from the voters of Wake
Forest, I continue to be excited at competing with the developer-supported
candidates with the big budgets.”
Velma
Boyd
“The Committee to Elect Velma Boyd
does not plan to raise more than $3,000 to fund this election. There has
been one Meet the Candidate event held for me which was hosted by Mr. and Mrs.
David Williams Sr., Mr. and Mrs. David Williams Jr., Mr. and Mrs. David Faircloth
and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Walters. I provided a guest lists of my friends and
constituents for the event. The generosity of the attendees afforded me the
root money for my campaign. My treasurer reported a total if $800 dollars
in contributions for that evening. To date I have raised a total of $1,500
which is being used for flyers, mailings, advertisements and supplies. Items
such as signs, buttons and other paraphernalia are being recycled from the last
two elections.
“My campaigning will include
neighborhood walks, personal phone calls, flyers and mailings. Wake Forest
has grown to eight precincts which makes it difficult to spend time discussing
issues while out in the neighborhoods; however this personal time with the
residents is very special.”
Rob
Bridges
“I
expect to raise campaign funds from friends of mine, friends of my family, and
anyone who will support my cause. I was very fortunate to have been able to
start this campaign with funds I had from the last. In addition to that, I
expect to have at least one other fundraiser for this election. I have tried to
maintain an open policy to who gives to my campaign. Anyone should be able to
contribute to a candidate who they believe will do what is best for Wake
Forest. I have also set up a donations option on my website, www.robbridges.org, for anyone to
contribute any amount.
“The
bulk of funds raised for this election will be spent on signage, mailings, printing,
and website formation. I will be, and have been, very active in going door to door,
neighborhood meetings, forums, and community gatherings that give me an
opportunity to share my goals and vision for Wake Forest. In my opinion, these
examples of campaigning are just as, if not more important, as how much you
raise.
“While
I firmly believe that successful fundraising means no guarantee in winning an
election, it does provide a means to get my
message to as many people as possible. I have tried, and will continue to try,
to reach as many people as possible using the methods previously
mentioned as well as the best possible use of any campaign funds raised.”
David
Camacho
“I have a broad base of past
supporters that have offered to help out this year. Some folks volunteer their
time and some their money. I have already had one fund-raiser hosted by Thomas
Walters and David Williams Jr. and several more are planned. You can get the
specific list of contributors thus far from the Wake County Board of
Elections (we just filed a 35-day report this week). I plan to host or
attend a wide variety of meet and greet gatherings in the coming weeks. I am
also answering lots of questions from the media and various other groups so
that everyone knows where I stand on the issues. Three candidate forums are
scheduled so far. Our yard signs will go up soon and door-to-door began October
first.”
Anne Hines
“When I signed up to run for Town
Commissioner, I signed a document titled “Certification of Threshold.” This
document certifies that my committee intends to spend no more than $3,000 for
this campaign as is set forth in G.S. 163-278.10A. We are working diligently to
stay within these perimeters. We have raised money from friends, family and
citizens of Wake Forest. As of this date we have had no fundraisers, and
probably will have only one, if any at all. People are so busy these days, that
in the past we have found that these events can be poorly attended. People seem
to be much more forthcoming with a check or letting me put signs in their
yards.
I have been able to recycle some of
my campaign information from the 2001 election. This has saved a good deal of
money – I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. My money goes for printing,
postage and signs. I have been spending my time visiting with citizens in Wake
Forest and making phone calls. With the questions the Gazette has asked
candidates, I believe I am getting good exposure. Also, the Wake Weekly did a
very nice article last week on a forum held at the Massey Apartments Club
House. The Chamber forum on 10/9 will get a lot of air time on our local government
channel. The forum on 10/15 held by the CCFP-Wake Forest Country Club will give
us another opportunity to speak directly to citizens.
“I feel my campaign is on track and
we are getting a good response. Thus far, my fellow candidates have all been
gracious. That helps to make the race very pleasant.”
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