Davis Enterprise

Friday, August 4, 2006

A Successful Campaign is an Expensive Campaign

By Claire St. John,

Staff Writer

Although the new Davis City Council was decided by voters in early June, candidates turned in their latest campaign contribution and expenditure reports on July 31, showing that since January, four of five candidates spent between $25,000 and $43,000 each.

Successful candidate Ruth Asmundson added $5,369 in contributions between May 21 and July 31, bringing her campaign total to $36,688. According to a statement filed with the city, Asmundson has $1,033 left over after the June 6 election and no outstanding debts.

Her $99 and $100 contributors in that period were: Grayson Beck, Olivia Beck, Andrew Frank, Andy and Judy Gabor, Patrick Leathers, Donna Lott, Sinisa Novakovic, Dorothy Pro, Dean Unger, Hal Sconyers, Carol Sconyers, Anthony Smernes, Marcelo Campos, Katherine Hicks, Joanne Roland, Lisha Shaw, Ruth and Bob Shumway, Tri-Kidd and C. Zimmerman of Davis.

Sacramento contributors were Derek Cole, Cindy Cold, Esquivel Real Estate Inc., Sotiris Kolokotronis, Matina Kolokotronis, Nancy Miller, Gregory Ocasek, Pacific Housing Inc., Philip Serna, Ruth Holton-Hodson and Aaron Zeff.

Other out-of-town contributors were 1328 D Street LLC; 812 La Brea LLC; Leonard Rawson and Sean Rawson, all of Huntington Beach; Linda Ekstrom, Agnes Ekstrom, Kristen Ostrander, Justin Ostrander and Lynn Zimmerman, all of Galt; James Romas of Carmichael; Sarah Smernes Edson of Campbell; Angela Tate of Walnut Grove; and Larry Waller of Fair Oaks.

Councilman Lamar Heystek raised almost $43,540 for his successful campaign, more than any other candidate. Of those funds, $13,040 were contributions and $30,500 were loans.

Most of the loans came from a $20,000 buyout from his longtime job at Safeway, Heystek has said. Between May 21 and July 31, Heystek raised $1,750 in contributions.

Citizens for Responsible Planning collected $100 each for Heystek from Eileen Samitz, James Flanigan, Norma Turner, John Privara, Mary-Alice Coleman, Lois Suder and J.H. Theis, all of Davis.

Friends of Lamar Heystek also received contributions, including $100 each from Richard Lee Glazer and Adam S. Loveall of Rocklin, Michael Tursky of Roseville and J. Guy Turner of Davis.

Heystek reported no outstanding debts and an ending balance of $36.

Over the course of his campaign, Mike Levy raised $22,551 and spent $25,870 on his campaign, which includes $6,814 in unpaid bills. According to the campaign statement, Levy still has $3,444 cash in the bank.

Levy got a $1,835 boost from several contributions since May 21, including $100 each from Joseph Whitcombe, Elena Whitcombe, Dean Unger, Randy Yackzan, Lynne Yackzan, Katherine Cole Leathers, Janice Bridge, Adam Bridge, Judy Whitcombe and Richard McCapes, all of Davis; Brian Micek of West Sacramento; and Jay-Allen Eisen and Julia Cousensaka of Clarksburg.

Levy also lent his campaign $4,469 in the last filing period.