Hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into Tucson’s general election this year, according to the latest filings that show contributions as of Oct. 16.
Most of the money came from individuals, PACs and public matching dollars provided by the city through a program that seeks to “level the playing field” for political fundraising.
Prominent figures like former Tucson Mayor Johnathan Rothschild were among this year’s contributors, and multiple candidates received thousands of dollars from donors involved in the real estate and construction industries.
Candidates experienced disparate campaign funding totals. Kevin Dahl, a Democrat, raised thousands more than any other candidate this year and he outraised his Ward 3 opponents by tens-of-thousands of dollars.
Of the candidates, only Alan Harwell Jr. didn’t file his latest campaign finance report on time, according to Ana Marrufo, a management assistant with the city clerk’s office. Two PACs supporting different ballot items also filed their reports after the due date, which can result in nominal penalty fees for each late day.
Similar to the council races, this year’s propositions received vastly different contribution levels. About half of all funds raised this election cycle were in support of Proposition 206, which seeks to raise Tucson’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Only $12,000 went toward promoting Proposition 410, a measure that would increase pay for city leaders.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Ward 3
Democrat Dahl, a veteran conservationist, has outraised his opponents with about $103,400 received as of Oct. 16, according to his latest finance report. Independent Lucy LiBosha, a high school math teacher, reports raising about $12,300 total. Harwell, a Republican, said he raised just under $2,000, but the funds aren’t completely accounted for in his reports.
Dahl raised $60,300 in individual contributions and $2,000 from political action committees, or PACs, including the Tucson Firefighters Local No. 479 PAC and $1,000 from Livable Communities PAC, which was founded in 2006 by Rep. Raúl Grijalva and supports progressive candidates.
The candidate received several $500 contributions, the maximum amount allowed from individuals, from donors such as Diamond Ventures investor Jennifer Diamond, and Jason Tankersley, the CEO of Fairfax Companies, a sustainability-focused construction company based in Tucson.
Dahl’s campaign has received more than $38,600 in public matching funds from the city — part of a voter-approved program that went into effect in 1987 — according to his latest campaign finance report. The program allows the city to match certain contributions made to campaigns.
The candidate reports spending about $81,000 on paying his campaign staff, advertising and PayPal fees.
LiBosha reports raising $9,100 from individuals and receiving about $2,900 in candidate loans. No funds from PACs were reported, and the candidate received many relatively low-dollar donations, many of which came from Tucson Unified School District employees, the district where she currently works as a high school math teacher.
As of the latest Oct. 16 filing, LiBosha spent about $8,200, mainly on advertising and office supplies.
Harwell hasn’t filed his latest report documenting finances up to Oct. 16, but reports raising nearly $2,000 as of Sept. 30. However, receipts listed in his finance reports only document $300 received from individuals, a $415 in-kind donation, which is a donated good or service, and $60 from himself.
Harwell reports spending about $1,400 as of Sept. 30 on bank fees, meals and lists from Pima County GOP.
Ward 5
Richard Fimbres, a Democrat who has held the Ward 5 seat since 2009, raised about $12,200 for his campaign against two write-in candidates.
The vast majority of those contributions came from individual donors, many of whom work in real estate and land development. Retirees represented a significant chunk of the campaign’s $500 contributions.
Rothschild was among Fimbres’ most prominent donors. A large contribution was also made by Pima County program manager Linda Leatherman, who works for the county’s One-Stop program.
The incumbent received one PAC contribution of $500 from the Southwest Gas Arizona Political Action Committee. The PAC has been operating since at least the 1990s and represents the interests of its corporate namesake, which provides natural gas services in Arizona.
More than $4,400 of Fimbres’ campaign funds went to Ackerley Advertising, an agency that does television commercials and has been used to promote numerous other ballot items this election.
Write-in candidates aren’t required to file campaign finance reports if they don’t submit a statement of organization.
Ward 6
Incumbent Steve Kozachik didn’t raise funds for his campaign, which received $500 in cash contributions from Kozachik himself. The campaign also received $325 worth of in-kind contributions.
A PAC called “Friends of Steve K” raised nearly $58,000 on Kozachik’s behalf, however. The PAC works independently from Kozachik, who said he “has nothing to do with” the group but appreciates their efforts.
Friends of Steve K received numerous high-dollar contributions from real estate agents and groups, including the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. Multiple partners at Diamond Ventures, a real estate development and investment company, also made large donations to the PAC.
Friends of Steve K has spent much of its funds on political consulting services like those offered by Radar Strategies. The progressive Phoenix-based firm has received tens-of-thousands of dollars from the PAC.
Val Romero, the Independent candidate running against Kozachik, hasn’t received any PAC support.
The political newcomer has raised nearly $42,300 during the course of his campaign, which includes about $15,300 in public matching funds.
Individual donors gave $23,200 to support his campaign, with business owners and local builders representing some of the largest contributions. The Ward 6 candidate had to refund multiple donors whose contributions were over the allowed limit.
A large portion of Romero’s funds were spent on campaign signs and other advertising.
Propositions
Two campaigns have raised significant funds in opposition and support of Proposition 206 — the ballot initiative to gradually raise Tucson’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.
Tucson Fight for 15, the group that collected signatures to get the proposition on the ballot, didn’t file its pre-general election report due Oct. 23 on time. Its latest report ending Sept. 30 documents about $218,000 total raised, with about $183,300 from organizations and $33,700 from individuals.
Billy Peard, an attorney who co-authored Proposition 206, provided the Star a list of the campaign’s updated finances and said the group raised nearly $250,000 total as of Oct. 16, with about $213,300 of the total coming from unions and nonprofit corporations.
The National Employment Law Project, a New York-based nonprofit group that advocates for low-wage workers, gave Tucson Fight for 15 $60,000. The campaign received $50,000 from The Fairness Project, a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C.
The Primavera Foundation gave the group $10,000 while the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona gave the group $50,000.
Renee Morton, the owner of consignment furniture store Homestyle Galleries, contributed $7,000 total to Tucson Fight for 15 as of Sept. 30. David Higuera, chief of staff for Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz, contributed $2,200.
Peard says the group spent roughly $226,000 through Oct. 16. Listed expenditures include paying campaign staff, campaign consulting firms, attorneys fees and advertising circulation.
The No on 206 PAC, led by businesses owners in opposition to the minimum wage initiative, reports raising $22,500 as of Oct. 16, with nearly $11,500 coming from individuals and $11,000 from corporations and LLCs. The Southern Arizona Leadership Council gave the group $10,500.
Several Southern Arizona McDonald’s franchise owners also contributed, including $2,500 from Paul Dias, $1,000 from Michael Osborne and $1,000 from LeAnn Richards.
Carlos Ruiz, the PAC’s chairman and owner of the stainless-steel supplier HT Metals, contributed $1,000.
The group reports spending around $14,100 as of Oct. 16 — $13,650 of which went to Ackerley Advertising, owned by a known opponent of Proposition 206, Ed Ackerley.
Proposition 410, a ballot measure that, if passed, will raise the salaries of Tucson’s mayor and City Council members, received a fraction of the monetary support Prop. 206 had this election cycle.
Activate 48 Inc. spent $12,000 on digital advertising in support of Prop. 410. The nonprofit organization’s director is Laura Dent, who was also one of seven members on the Citizens Commission on Public Service and Compensation that recommended the raises.
