The three candidates seeking Bartholomew County’s top law enforcement job have spent more than $22,000 in an effort to attain the Republican nomination for sheriff.
First-term incumbent Sheriff Matt Myers started out the campaign with more than $16,000 and added to that total with an additional $11,308 in fundraising, according to the campaign finance reports through mid-April, bringing his total to $27,553.
Challenger Tamara Watson started her campaign with $100 and reported just over $7,700 in contributions during the campaign period. Challenger Rob Kittle started out the reporting period with just over $1,000 and was at $6,827 in contributions.
Watson, a retired Indiana State Police master trooper, reported about $3,700 cash on hand at the end of the reporting period. Kittle, who retired from the sheriff’s department, reported about $474 in cash on hand as the primary approaches.
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As of April 13, Myers had spent less than $12,000 on this year’s campaign so far. His report showed about $15,600 in available cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
County Council
An incumbent Republican who voted for an increase in the county’s Local Income Tax is behind his challenger in contributions for the Republican nomination for Bartholomew County Council District 3.
Former two-term sheriff Mark Gorbett retired from law enforcement in 2014 after winning the District 3 council seat. He is seeking re-election to the county council, using $2,000 of his own money, according to his contributor list, and spending about $600 on the campaign so far. Gorbett reported having $1,419 cash in hand.
Gorbett advocated raising revenue to boost public safety and was among the councilmen who voted last fall 4-3 in favor of raising the local income tax by 40 percent.
Challenger David Jones has criticized that decision extensively throughout the campaign. He reported $2,334 in contributions and also reported spending a little more than $1,000 so far in the campaign.
Two other incumbent county council members who supported raising the tax last fall are also being challenged in the Republican primary: Jorge Morales and Laura DeDomenic.
In District 4, Morales reported two contributors who provided a total of $140. However, the two-term incumbent also began 2018 with $4,000 saved from his two earlier campaigns, according to the campaign report.
His opponent, former county assessor Tom Owens, listed no contributions or expenditures in his effort to unseat Morales.
The winner in the Republican primary for District 4 will go on to face Democrat Lynne Fleming in November. Fleming’s filing shows an unspent $220, with no contributors or expenditures.
In the District 2 council race, Republican Glenn Petri is challenging incumbent Laura DeDomenic, who is completing her first term.
While Petri reported having $6,000 as of mid-April, his campaign is self-funded, according to his campaign report.
DeDomenic, a Columbus businesswoman, reported raising $3,090 for her campaign.
As of the filing deadline, both candidates had spent about the same amount of money, about $2,300 each.
There has been little fundraising or spending in the District 1 Republican primary for county council.
The report filed by Scott Bonnell shows no contributors, no expenditures and no money for his campaign. His opponent, Marcus Speer, listed two contributors – himself and a relative. As of April 13, Speer had not spent any of the $527 he acquired for campaigning.
Whoever wins the primary in District 1 will face a Democrat in the general election who has been actively fundraising.
With about 20 contributors through mid-April, Hanna Omar, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, has spent about almost $1,300 of the $2,220 she has raised.
State Representative: District 59
A political newcomer is leading in contributions for the Republican primary for State Representative District 59 in the hopes of eventually succeeding retiring Rep. Milo Smith.
JoAnne Flohr, a Republican who is Ohio Township trustee, has raised $26,212 during the campaign reporting period, much of it from a $10,750 contribution from Indiana Business for Responsive Government, a political action committee.
As part of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the IBRG strives to be a non-partisan organization that helps elect pro-business state legislators, according to its website. The PAC states it focuses on tough races in an effort to defeat candidates “who do not support pro-jobs, pro-growth issues,” its website stated.
Flohr’s war chest also includes a little over $10,000 that the candidate has loaned to her campaign. She lists about $7,400 in cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
Ryan Lauer, a Cummins, Inc. employee who has sought the District 59 Republican nomination in the past, had more than $4,000 in his campaign coffers when beginning his campaign for the nomination earlier this year.
He has more than a dozen individuals or couples who have donated $200 or more and a notable number of contributors in the $100 or less contributor list.
Lauer is showing just over $23,000 in contributions during the reporting period and almost $13,000 in cash on hand, the report states.
On the Democratic side of the primary, teacher Dale Nowlin raised the third highest amount in the race. As of April 13, the Democrat had almost $11,000 – and had spent less than a quarter of that money for the primaries.
Nowlin’s financial report indicates a large part of his support comes from current or retired teachers who have provided $100 donations.
In terms of fundraising, Columbus businessman John D. Counceller was in fourth place with $10,400 in contributions. However, about three fourths of that money is a loan that the candidate made to his campaign, the report states. As of the report filing date, Counceller had about $965 cash on hand.
Another candidate who had sought the nomination previously, Republican Lew Wilson reported having slightly more than $7,000 in contributions. He reported cash on hand at about $5,400, the report states.
Democrat Mary Kohen listed contributions of $5,225 in her report, much of it from contributions of $100 or less from more than 40 contributors. The report stated that her campaign was about $2,500 in debt.
Finally, the campaign of Republican Allen K. Smith II has been entirely self-financed. The long-time firefighter and former county coroner had already spent $2,600 of his own money by last month’s filing deadline, mostly on videos produced for social media.
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See what candidates have raised, spent. Page A5.
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