Kelly leads fundraising in county elections
SANDPOINT — Republican Cary Kelly has raised more than $17,000 in contributions in his quest to win the GOP nomination in the May 15 primary election, according to campaign finance disclosure reports.
Kelly is looking to unseat incumbent Republican Lewis Rich while trying to fend off Sage Dixon, a third candidate gunning for the District 3 seat on the commission.
The District 3 race will be likely be decided in the primary because there are no other candidates running for the seat.
Jack and Mary Jo Ambrosiani are the biggest contributors to Kelly’s election bid, having each donated $999 to his campaign. Smaller contributors to Kelly’s campaign include former Commissioner Tom Suttmeier ($250), Hill’s Resort at Priest Lake ($200) and Commissioner Mike Nielsen ($100).
Rich is edging Dixon on the fundraising front, records show. Rich listed total contributions of $3,915, $2,149 of which was raised during the current election cycle. Rich’s largest benefactor is Percussionaire, a medical equipment manufacturer operated by Dr. Forrest Bird, which donated $1,000 to his re-election effort.
Other contributors to Rich’s campaign include Dick and Donna Hutter ($250), and Assessor Jerry Clemons and Clif Warren ($200 each).
Dixon, meanwhile, reported total contributions of $1,372. Chief campaign donors include Lorna Finman ($500), Christine Kyne of California ($400) and TRI Investments ($200).
Incumbent Republican District 1 Commissioner Cornel Rasor has amassed the second-largest campaign chest in the primary, raising slightly more than $11,000. His largest donors are Marjorie Kinne and the Virginia Deane Trust ($1,000 each). Finman also kicked in $500 to his campaign.
Former Sen. Joyce Broadsword, who’s also seeking the Republican nomination for the District 1 post, listed total contributions of $7,093. Her biggest donors include Idaho Forest Group ($1,000), Gary Durand of Priest Lake ($1,000), the Ambrosianis ($999 each) and the Committee to Elect Jim Hammond in Post Falls ($750).
Steve Johnson, an independent who will appear on the general election ballot in the District 1 race, listed no contributions or expenditures so far.
Incumbent Sheriff Daryl Wheeler has raised $5,563 in his effort to retain the GOP nomination. The Ambrosianis each put in $999 toward his re-election campaign. The Bonner County Sheriff’s Guild donated $500, as did former legislative candidate Dennis Engelhardt.
Tim Fry, a Ponderay police officer and staunch Ron Paul supporter, has so far raised $1,804 in his campaign to clinch the Republican nomination from Wheeler. His top donor is Finman, whose husband is embroiled in a bitter feud with Wheeler over his arrest for allegedly tearing down a home even though its occupants were still inside. Lorna Finman donated $1,000 to Fry’s campaign.
Shaun Winkler, a white supremacist who is also seeking the GOP nomination for sheriff, has not yet filed a campaign disclosure report.
Former Deputy Rocky Jordan, a Constitution party candidate on the November ballot, reported total contributions of $935, nearly all of which came in the form of in-kind campaign donations.
Incumbent Republican Prosecutor Louis Marshall, who’s a primary election shoo-in, listed total contributions of $500.
Tevis Hull and Michael Waldrup, both of whom are running as independents in the general election, reported no contributions or expenditures during the primary.