Among local office seekers on the Nov. 2 ballot, two candidates
vying for the last remaining Board of Supervisors seat have raised
the most money. And two Hollister City Council candidates have
raised far more money than their peers.
Hollister – Among local office seekers on the Nov. 2 ballot, two candidates vying for the last remaining Board of Supervisors seat have raised the most money. And two Hollister City Council candidates have raised far more money than their peers.
District 2 county supervisor candidates Anthony Botelho and Anthony Freitas raised about $14,000 and $19,000, respectively, since the beginning of the year.
That totals $33,000 raised this year for the one race. For all three council races, seven candidates have raised a total of $18,400.
The amounts are from Jan. 1 through the most recent reporting period ending Sept. 30, according to elections office records. Botelho and Freitas also ran against each other in the March primary.
Among seven Hollister council candidates, District 4 incumbent Tony LoBue and District 5 challenger Monica Johnson raised the most money.
LoBue, who’s running against retired school administrator Doug Emerson, had raised $5,242 through the same reporting period. Johnson, who’s challenging Mayor Tony Bruscia, had raised $4,713.
All candidates for offices are required by state law to file Form 460s, which detail total contributions and spending – along with where the money’s coming from and where it’s going.
Only one candidate for the two boards, District 5 challenger Martin Deffee, had not filed his campaign finance forms with the Hollister city clerk’s office as of Wednesday. The forms were due Oct. 5, and Deffee must pay $10 a day for every day they’re late, Deputy City Clerk Geri Johnson said. The last deadline for campaign finance disclosure before Election Day is Oct. 21.
Deffee on Wednesday said he hasn’t completed and returned the forms because he has “been overwhelmed with things to do.” He said he’s raised about $1,000.
Supervisorial candidates generally raise more money for their campaigns, which span wider geographic boundaries and higher populations than those for the Hollister council.
The issue of fundraising had become a hot button during the past few months when the current board proposed, and eventually approved, a strict set of campaign finance laws for county offices.
Both Botelho and Freitas spoke out against the ordinance, saying a $10,000 spending cap on district-wide campaigns isn’t enough money. The law doesn’t take effect until after the coming election.
Freitas has received his largest contributions from local contractor Paul Wattis and a union, the Operating Engineers Local 3.
The union donated $1,000 to Freitas in 2004 and the same amount in 2003. Wattis, who owns a construction company, donated $500 in 2004 and $1,000 in 2003 to Freitas’ campaign, according to the campaign finance forms.
Wattis has placed bids with San Benito County for several roadway construction contracts within recent years. Since 2000, those contracts totaled $1.3 million, according to the county auditor’s office.
Freitas on Wednesday said of Wattis: “I don’t really know him that well.” And the trade union’s contribution, he said, “was just an endorsement they gave me.”
His opponent for the District 2 seat currently held by longtime Supervisor Ruth Kesler, Botelho, hasn’t accepted donations of more than $99. So the names of who’s donating aren’t public record, because candidates don’t have to disclose donors’ identities for all contributions of less than $100.
“The reasoning behind that is – I feel that is more than enough for an individual to give to a campaign in a local race,” Botelho said. “If they’re giving more than that, then there must be an alternative reason for it.”
As a comparison, Supervisor Ruth Kesler, while running against Botelho and Freitas during the March primary, raised $4,246. And Supervisor-elect Jaime De La Cruz, who beat incumbent Bob Cruz by 10 votes in the primary, raised $21,389 for that race.
The two incumbents for the Hollister council, Bruscia and LoBue, each received $250 donations from the same local developer, Hugh Bickle. One-term Councilman Brian Conroy isn’t running for reelection in District 1.
Kollin Kosmicki covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach him at 637-5566, ext. 331 or kk*******@fr***********.com.
