Mayoral hopefuls come up short on campaign cash, yet try to capture the hearts and votes of the Baltimore electorate?
While the other Mayoral candidates who are trying to unseat the current city charter appointed incumbent Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, they are going to have to literally do more with less. As the volatile Mayor leans on unions, businesses, city employees and even other politicos to support her or else, the others are finding it harder and harder to come up with the adequate amount of cash to compete with her come Election Day 2011!
Raising over $1.4 million in total contributions, the Mayor has more cash on hand than some have risen throughout the entire campaign. And while the ‘people’s champ’ seems to be that of Otis Rolley, having 886 contributors raising over a quarter million dollars; he does not come close to touching the Mayor’s juggernaut. In fact, with most of his contributions already being paid out, with $116,000 going to field operations alone; Rolley has less than $100,000 now to use on media buys, direct mailings and Election Day poll workers. However, he probably has considerable bragging rights over the first time Mayoral candidate(s), yet previously elected officials – Catherine Pugh and Joseph ‘Jody’ Landers.
While Landers had the worst total of all the top tier four candidates, with only $140,000 to show for his hard work, sweat and tears of summer campaigning; Pugh has raised only slightly more than Rolley, yet not by individuals – rather through outside entities, loans and slates. Accepting a $1,000 contribution from formal political rival Sheila Ann Dixon, in which Rolley gave back the same amount from Dixon; Pugh received more political contributions from elected officials than that of Rawlings-Blake – though the Mayor received the endorsement from almost the entire Democratic machine of elected officials? Seeing political contributions come from former 40th District Senator Ralph Hughes ($6,000) who endorsed Pugh to take his seat over Dixon favorite Salima Siler Marriott, along with receiving $4,000 from the state senate’s Capo di tutti Capi (boss of all bosses) Thomas ‘Mike’ Miller; Pugh’s fundraising came under fire by the current Mayor and her campaign staff.
“Catherine Pugh has been dishonest with voters about her policies. Now she needs to explain why her failing campaign is being funded by suspicious loans, lobbyists and out-of-state money with no connection to Baltimore,” said Keiana Page, communications director for the Rawlings-Blake Campaign. Focusing on the $75,000 loan given by car dealer Scott Donahoo, the South Carolina communications director who received $1,873.98 every two weeks with Rawlings-Blake questioned Donahoo’s motives and Pugh’s intelligence, or possibly something else, stating the following: “Its clear that Scott Donahoo is treating Catherine Pugh the same way he treats his used-car customers where his motto is: ‘NO Credit? Forget it! Don't sweat it! Everybody rides at Foreign Motors!’”
Yet while each candidate has questionable donations, expenditures and strange bed-fellows to speak of, the Mayor’s contributors to two people in particular having many scratching their heads – or crying foul. The first is the payment of $600 to the President of AFSCME, Glennard Middleton; whose union later made an endorsement in favor of the Mayor. Next is to BUILD, which most assume its to the non-profit community orgranization which consists of preachers from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance who already endorsed the Mayor, as did this Examiner; yet the $1,000 donation to the Mayor was given by B.U.I.L.D. - the Building Unions Individual Labor Donations PAC.
“Well the first mistake made by Rolley is taking advice from the former Mayor [Dixon] yet then returning her money,” said GCOMM Media contributor Shaun Louis. “So her advice you can take, yet her money you can’t? Really? Next is how in the world can the Mayor accept these donations from unions and businesses doing business with the City, and even paying the President of a union expecting to gain an endorsement by; expecting anyone to now believe in a fair and transparent system?” Yet most have made the point that she could care less what the electorate thinks, as she knows she will win with, or without them! “The rest of the field are irrelevant when you have a Mayor backed by the major donors and powerbrokers of the Democratic Party and none of these candidates willing to drop out of the race and back one person to take on the establishment,” says political analyst Doni Glover. “Either way you carve it, none of these very credible candidates can beat Stephanie! Period!”
Well we shall certainly see come Election Day, whether or not any of these candidates can take the little bit of finances they have and make it work wonders for their candidacy? For with less than 30-days left and many areas of less expensive new media sources under utilized thus far, by each of the candidates – who knows what’s going to happen in the next three to four weeks? Either way, come September 14th, the day AFTER the Primary Elections – Baltimore will have to move on with the Mayor of OUR choosing? ValueURVote2011 and make sure you Register (August 23rd), Educate yourself on the issues and the candidates and then VOTE – either during Early Voting or on Election Day; Tuesday, September 13, 2011!
*The Board of Elections Executive Director Armstead Jones has asked me to relay the fact that his office made an error when sending out the 'Sample Ballot' with September 3, 2011 instead of September 13, 2011 for Election Day’s date! Please pass on this very critical information to those who may become confused based on this unintentional oversight!
**Next up is the candidates in the council districts, their campaign finances and what that means for their elections?
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