Schmitz top fundraiser, spender in municipal elections

The 2009 race to the mayor’s office has been an expensive one, with Mike Schmitz out-collecting and out-spending competitor Keith Seagle more than three to one.

Interesting Findings found in Campaign Contribution reports:


City Commission District 1
· Kevin Dorsey has not received or spent enough funds to report.
· Larry Matthews has spent $5,080 and has received $5,300, including two $500 contributions.
· James Reading reports collecting about $6,000 and spending abut $5,300. He has contributed more than $700 to area churches. Steve Parrish, a Dothan police captain, contributed $100.
· Earnest Rhodes has not spent or received enough funds to report.
· George Williams Jr. has collected $2,773 and spent $2,740. His largest contributor has been District 2 Commissioner Amos Newsome Jr., who gave $668.

City Commission District 3
· Kenneth Everett has spent $9,000 of his own money. He has not accepted other contributions.
· Paul Lee has collected $18,150 and spent $13,600. He has received six $500 contributions over the last month.

City Commission District 5
· Taylor Barbaree has collected $27,000 in cash and spent $25,300. He has received 12 $500 contributions over the last month.
· David Cornelius received $100 from Steve Parrish, a captain in the Dothan Police Department, and $500 from the McCain Law Firm.
· Paul Ferrell has not accepted any contributions.

School Board Chairman
· Barry Farmer has not received enough contributions to warrant filing.
· Harry Wayne Parrish has received two contributions totaling $450 and has spent $1,164 on signs.
· Gayla White has received eight contributions large enough to itemize ($100 or more) totaling $1,750 and has spent $1,700.

School Board District 3
· Terry Laseter reports spending a little over $1,000 and collecting no funds. He reports a negative balance of $1,129.
· Charles Woodall has collected $720 and spent $917.

According to two campaign expense reports filed with the Houston County Probate Office in May and July, Schmitz has received more than $61,000 in cash contributions and kicked in $23,500 of his own money in his first bid for political office. The owner of Mike Schmitz Automotive Group does not report receiving any in-kind contributions.

Schmitz reports spending nearly $74,000, the majority of which went for advertising. Schmitz has put together a team of professionals to help with his advertising, which has included billboards, signs, and T-shirts. A local marketing firm has been paid more than $30,000.

Seagle reports receiving $8,165 in cash contributions in May and another $8,370 in June, for a total of $16,535. The largest contribution in his latest filing came from his father-in-law, Earl Smith, who donated $5,000 to Seagle’s campaign.

Seagle also reports receiving more than $5,800 in in-kind contributions which went for food, equipment and administrative duties.

The counselor at Troy University Dothan has spent slightly more than $21,000, nearly all of it going for advertising. He, along with other candidates, purchased booth space at the Family 4th Celebration at the National Peanut Festival fairgrounds.

The job of mayor pays $42,000 a year and includes a city car, fuel, and health and dental insurance. Mayor Pat Thomas did not accept the health insurance, vehicle or fuel allowance.
Candidates were required to file their second reports by July 9, five days before the election.

Schmitz’s biggest contributors were doctors, lawyers, engineers and business owners.

According to the latest filing, Schmitz received $1,000 or more from: John Watson; William Adams; Abby Downs; John Downs; Ralph Fillmore; Brent Cook; Sam and Sharon Cherry; Patrick and Glenda Liester; and J.E. Kelly Jr. of Hartford.

Those contributing between $500 and $1,000 included: Qualico Steel; Paul Flowers; Davis Theaters; Hardwick, Hause, Segrest & Walding; Angie McCord; James York; Steve Roy; Hayne Hollis; Larry Porlacs; Richard Guest; Danny Sharp; Jack Cook; Bondy’s Nissan; Bondy’s Ford; Cochran, Cherry, Givens & Smith; Lee & McInnish; Northstar Engineering; Southeast Eye Clinic; J. Michael Lee Associates Architects; Aloma Killingsworth; Charles Buntin; Dean Lolley; Dr. Claude Ashley; Dr. John Flowers; Southeast Cardiology; Helen Applefield; Dorothy Edge; Parkway Rentals; Balovento LLC; and Larry Register.

On his latest filing, Seagle’s largest cash contributors, other than his father-in-law, were out-of-towners. Irby Jordan of Cottonwood gave $1,550 in cash and $1,600 in-kind in the form of food, equipment and administrative duties; and Ronald Moore of Ashford contributed $700 in cash.

Both candidates reported receiving $500 contributions from Rickey Stokes News. Seagle lists a June 13 contribution as being in-kind for an advertisement on Stokes’ Web site; Schmitz reported receiving $500 in cash from Stokes in May and $25 in June.

Schmitz also received $100 contributions from: county commissioners Mark Culver and Frances Cook; Deborah Crawford, wife of the former city fire chief Sam Crawford; Letetia and Michael Jackson (Letetia is a member of the Downtown Dothan Redevelopment Authority); Steve Parrish, a captain with the Dothan Police Department; and Chuck Harris, chairman of the Dothan Planning Commission. Cathy Cole of The Downtown Group and Rosalind James of the County Extension Service also contributed to Schmitz’ campaign.

The National Association of Government Employees – the local police union – contributed to Schmitz also. The union also gave money to David Cornelius and James Reading.