Six candidates running for Durango School District Board of Education this November raised a combined $33,551 and spent $19,905, according to campaign finance reports.
The three incumbents – Rick Petersen, Andrea Parmenter and Erika Brown – won landslide victories Nov. 4 against newcomers Pearl Stegner, Tamra Fenberg and Jody Trampp. According to final results, Brown won District A with 74% of the vote, Petersen took District C with 71%, and Parmenter won District E with 71%.
Campaign finance reports filed with the Colorado Secretary of State show Petersen spent the most at $6,774, followed by Brown and Parmenter, who spent $4,834 and $4,298, respectively.
Parmenter touted the largest amount of monetary contributions at $11,434, followed by Brown with $9,067 and Petersen with $8,954.
The three newcomers spent – and raised – significantly less than their opponents. The newcomer who spent the most was Fenberg, whose total clocked in at $1,982, followed by Stegner at $1,865, and Trampp at $151.
Fenberg raised $2,323, Stegner raised $1,462 and Trampp raised $310.
The contributor who donated the most overall was the Public Education Committee, which split a donation of $6,667 between Parmenter and Petersen.
Anne Markward was the second largest contributor, splitting $4,970 among all three incumbents, and Eolus Bar & Dining, which contributed $600 to Parmenter and $600 to Brown.
Parmenter’s and Petersen’s top contributor was the Public Education Committee, and Brown’s was Anne Markward.
Trampp’s top supporter was John Purser, donating $250; Stegner’s top supporter was Ronald Fogleman with $500; and Fenberg gave herself $700.
Purser gave to all three newcomers, with a total of $600 in contributions.
The five other candidates in the race also donated funds to their own campaigns, with Parmenter putting in $3,375 toward her race; Brown, $2,950; Petersen, $2,200; and Stegner, $250.
Some incumbents made donations to other slate members via their campaign committees – meaning funds were used from each incumbent’s official campaign account, versus from personal funds, to donate.
Both incumbents and newcomers donated to their slate members from personal finances.
Brown’s campaign committee, Citizens for Erika Brown, donated $227 to Parmenter, and Petersen’s campaign committee, Rick Petersen for 9R School Board, donated $227 to Parmenter.
From personal funds, Jody Trampp put $20 toward Fenberg’s campaign, Brown put $100 toward Parmenter’s and Petersen’s races, and Petersen put $140 toward Parmenter’s race.
Candidates spent the most money on advertising, with a total of $17,354 being spent on things like mailers, yard signs, flyers and T-shirts.
Candidates spent the second most on general fundraising expenses, with $1,899 going toward expenses like fundraising events and donor thank you cards.
Candidates collectively spent $478 on office equipment and supplies, and $154 on bank fees.
Superior Blue Strategies, Inc. was the biggest beneficiary of campaign spending, with $8,146 going to the political consulting and communications firm during the race. Candidates spent more than $2,000 at Office Depot, just over $1,000 at Vista Print and just over $900 at Advertising Innovations, Inc.
Petersen, Brown and Parmenter, who ran as a slate in support of one another, seem to have shared some advertising and fundraising costs, according to Secretary of State data.
All three incumbents logged shared payments from their campaign committees for one-third the cost of campaign expenses like thank you cards to donors and website domain costs.
According to Kailee Stiles, deputy communications director with the Colorado Secretary of State, it is common for candidates to run as a slate and share costs in school board races, despite it being uncommon in other political races.
Stegner, Fenberg and Trampp also campaigned in support of one another but did not list any shared costs in their expense reports.
All candidates spent less than they earned – meaning they all walked away with funds on hand at the end of the election cycle. According to Stiles, there are restrictions under state law on how leftover funds can be used.
Candidates must close their committees affirmatively, and cannot do so until their account balances are zeroed out and they have filed a termination report to that effect, Stiles said. The only candidate who had officially terminated her committee as of early December was Stegner.
Leftover funds
According to the Secretary of State’s Campaign and Political Finance Manual, those who are not elected can use unexpended funds by:
- Contributing to a political party, up to a specific limit.
- Contributing to a new committee established by the same candidate for a new office.
- Donating to an IRS recognized charitable organization.
- Retaining the money for use in a later campaign by the same candidate.
- Returning unused funds to contributors.
A candidate elected to office with leftover funds on hand can use that money for:
- Voter registration.
- Political issue education (the law prohibits contributions to issue committees).
- Postsecondary educational scholarships.
- To defray reasonable and necessary expenses related to duties as an elected official (this includes communicating with constituents).
epond@durangoherald.com
