Lakewood City Council Ward 4 challenger Betty Boyd leads the pack in campaign contributions and expenditures, according to City Council candidate finance reports filed last week with the City of Lakewood.
So plentiful is Boyd’s treasury that she was able to pay her own daughter over $5,000 for the unspecified purpose of “campaign manager stipend.” This is more than most candidates spend on an entire election.
Ward 4 incumbent Dave Wiechman, often criticized by his colleagues as having bought his own seat and that of Councilor Roybal, did not live up to council’s accusations that Wiechman is the big spender who creates an unlevel playing field. Through October 10, Councilor Wiechman had raised and spent a little more than $9,000 – just over half that of his opponent. One-third of Wiechman’s campaign money came from individual donations of $200 or less and two-thirds from a personal loan.
Candidate Boyd, through October 10, had raised over $17,000 and spent $14,000. Boyd accepted both individual donations and money from PACs. Her single largest donor, contributing $1000, is not a Lakewood voter, but rather former Senator Bill Armstrong, President of Colorado Christian University which has a planning case active with the City of Lakewood. Also notable are donations from Mayor Murphy and Councilors Quinn, Baroway and Kellen. Although Boyd claims to want to “perhaps expand services” for the “silver tsunami” that’s coming, her supporters have cut back senior services during their recent term.
Ward 3 candidate Shakti comes in third with contributions and expenditures of nearly $7,000. Shakti, a Lakewood resident for only three years, accepted more than half of her contributions from outside Lakewood. Inside Lakewood, she is supported financially by current councilors Quinn, King, Kellen, Baroway and by candidates Boyd and Harrison.
Ward 3 candidate Dan Smith lists $1,000 in contributions and $550 in expenditures.
Ward 5 candidate Karen Harrison comes in fourth with $5,200 in contributions. As with Boyd, Harrison accepted $1,000 from Bill Armstrong and lists a PAC as a contributor. Harrison is supported financially by current Councilors Wilson (listed as Allen on the report), Baroway, Quinn and Wiechman and by candidates Betty Boyd and Shakti.
What’s most notable about Harrison’s report is not what it contains but what it lacks. Nowhere does she list an expenditure or in-kind donation for the yard signs that she and her supporters have posted.
Ward 5 candidate Gunner Gunstanson has raised about $1,000 and spent just over half of it, mostly on yard signs.
Wards one and two incumbent candidates Ramey Johnson and Scott Koop are running unopposed. Johnson, who for a short time had an opponent, lists $5,000 in contributions and $3,000 in expenditures. Koop lists $5 in donations and no expenditures.
Candidate reports can be found at http://lakewood.org/City_Clerk/Elections/Elections.aspx