Candidates funded their own cammpaigns

SANDPOINT — Some of the biggest contributors to primary campaigns for elected office in Bonner County were the candidates themselves, according to financial disclosure records.

Mike Nielsen, the Republican nominee for District 2 county commissioner, listed contributions of $16,109, although $9,500 of that sum was from a line of credit and another $5,100 was from personal loans to himself, records indicate.

Nielsen logged expenditures of $7,066, the most of any candidate during the pre-primary reporting period.

Nielsen’s chief primary opponent, incumbent Commissioner Joe Young, reported contributions of $5,822. Young’s biggest single benefactor was Stoneridge Golf Resort, which donated $1,000 to his re-election campaign. Young spent $4,802 in the run-up to the primary.

The third candidate in the District 3 race for the GOP nod was Patty Douglas Palmer, who took in no contributions and made no expenditures.

Nielsen will face Democrat Brian Orr in the general election. Orr listed no contributions or expenditures.

Tina Harvey, a Sagle Republican who unsuccessfully tried to unseat Assessor Jerry Clemons, listed total expenditures of $5,813. She tallied total contributions of $7,847, which included $3,500 in loans to herself and a $1,000 donation from the Idaho Association of Realtors.

The Realtors Political Action Committee in Boise independently infused Harvey’s campaign with $6,000 to pay for direct-mail advertisements, disclosure records show.

Clemons, who fended off Harvey during the primary, was his campaign’s biggest contributor. He loaned himself $3,500, bringing his pre-primary contributions to $7,335. Clemons listed expenditures of $5,065.

In the three-way contest for the Republican nomination for District 3 commissioner, Russ Schenck took in $5,459 before the primary and spent $5,105. His biggest single contribution was a $1,000 loan from his wife, Pam.

Incumbent Commissioner Lewis Rich, who prevailed in the primary, listed contributions of $2,649, $1,000 of which was an in-kind contribution from Litehouse Custom Printing. Rich listed expenditures of $2,005.

Gene Brown, the third contestant in hunt for the District 3 GOP nomination, largely self-financed his campaign with a $3,000 loan. He posted contributions of $3,340 and expenditures of $2,767.

Rich will vie with Democrat Melissa “Mel” Davis in the general. Davis, who ran unopposed in the primary, listed contributions of $970, of which $570 came from in-kind donations and $100 donation from former Sandpoint Councilman Steve Lockwood. She listed no expenditures as of May 1.

The two candidates competing for the Republican nomination for treasurer, incumbent Cheryl Piehl and challenger John Maras, both financed their own campaigns. Piehl loaned herself $746 and incurred $232 in consumer credit card debt, while Maras loaned himself $1,000 to sustain his campaign.

Republican Bud Mueller and Democrat Marie Scott were uncontested for their respective party’s nomination for county clerk. Mueller contributed $500 to his own campaign. Scott listed contributions of $400.

The latest campaign disclosures cover the period from Jan. 1 to May 9. Candidates have until June 24 to report contributions and expenditures between May 10 and June 4.