Easterday leads fundraising in city race

Election 2011

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTORS

A look at some contributors to Traverse City Commission candidates’ campaigns:

Barbara Budros:

Grand Traverse County commissioner Ross Richardson, Traverse City Commissioner Mary Ann Moore, former City Commissioner Deni Scrudato

Bob Donick:

Grand Traverse County Sheriff Tom Bensley, former Grand Traverse County Commissioner and Road Commissioner Walter J. Hooper, local attorney Grant Parsons

David Ford:

Rotary Charities of Traverse City Executive Director Marsha Smith, Traverse Area District Library Trustee George Galic, Northwestern Michigan College Foundation board chairman Bruce Byl

Jim Carruthers:

Ross Richardson, Mary Ann Moore, Deni Scrudato

Patrick McGuire:

Traverse City Commissioner Mike Gillman, Grand Traverse County Commissioner Christine Maxbauer, George Galic

Jeanine Easterday:

Former Downtown Development Authority Chairman Rick Korndorfer, former City Commissioner Scott Hardy, current city Commissioner and mayor candidate Ralph Soffredine, city planning commission Chairman Fred Wilmeth

Tim Werner:

Self-funded campaign; no contributors

Related Photos

Barbara Budros Record-Eagle/Keith King
Jim Carruthers Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
Bob Donick Record-Eagle/Keith King
Jeanine Easterday Record-Eagle/Keith King
David Ford Record-Eagle/Keith King
Patrick McGuire Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
Timothy Werner Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump

November 3, 2011

Seven candidates are running for 3 commission seats

BY ART BUKOWSKI abukowski@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Thu Nov 03, 2011, 07:43 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — An incumbent city commissioner and a woman who's never run for elected office lead the pack in city commission campaign contributions, though others aren't far behind.

Commission challenger Jeanine Easterday raised $5,810 as of last week, based on documents filed with the Grand Traverse County Clerk's office. Incumbent Jim Carruthers is a close second at $5,805.

Challengers David Ford and Patrick McGuire are next, with $4,785 and $4,485, respectively. Incumbent Barbara Budros raised $3,625, followed by challenger Bob Donick with $2,450.

Newcomer Tim Werner rounds off the list at $2,015. He's the only candidate who entirely self-funded his campaign, records show.

The seven candidates will square off for three seats in the Nov. 8 general election. Residents also will select a new mayor in a separate vote.

Easterday has dozens of contributions from local individuals, public officials and business owners.

"I think I've got a lot of grassroots support from my years of involvement," said Easterday, who once served appointed terms on the city's planning commission and board of zoning appeals.

Most of those who contributed to Easterday's campaign are personal friends, she said.

Carruthers also has plenty of local support, but his documents also list supporters from Ohio, Illinois, California, Florida, Georgia, Canada and elsewhere. And although he's near the lead in campaign contributions, he'd only spent about half that money as of the Oct. 28 filing deadline.

All other candidates spent nearly all of their contributions as of that date. Carruthers spent most of the remaining money on mailers Wednesday, he said.

"I probably have about $90 left in my account," he said.

Most of the out-of-town contributors are former or current summer residents of the area, Carruthers said. Carruthers grew up coming to Traverse City during the summer, and stays in touch with a broad network of people who did the same, he said.

"They're all family and friends, and they're all very concerned about Traverse City," he said.

McGuire sent out mailers to about 70 friends and associates early on in his campaign, and plenty of them decided to donate. Like the bulk of commission candidates, this is his first run for public office, so there was a bit of a learning curve when it came to how to best spend the money.

"If I were to do it again I could probably be more efficient," he said. "The first time around, you sort of learn as you go."

McGuire, like others, spent contributions on mailers, postage and other items.

Werner said he was torn between soliciting donations and entirely self-funding his campaign. He knew people might be more invested in a campaign if they contributed money, but he also believed he had enough money to get the job done himself.

Ultimately, he decided he'd rather not seek contributions. He also wasn't overly excited about extra paperwork that comes with keeping track of donations, he said.

"It was a combination of the amount of additional work, plus we could afford to do it ourselves," he said.