Reports show $150,000 spent on council elections

Candidates in the recent Lynchburg City Council elections collectively spent slightly more than $150,000 on their campaigns, according to a new round of finance reports filed this month.

Four candidates reported they were still maintaining open campaign accounts when the most recent filing period came to an end June 10. Two candidates reported donating their surplus funds to charity. Two others reported no surplus funds.

The new reports, which reflect the entirety of each campaign’s financial activity leading up to last month’s election, did little to change the list of who was pulling in the most donations or paying out the most for expenses.

All three of the victors— Joan Foster, Randy Nelson and Hunsdon “H.” Cary — ranked among the race’s top fundraisers and spenders.

Noteworthy highlights from the latest pack of reports include:

- Don Good, who finished fourth in the race, reported carrying a deficit of $459.91. At the same time, he reported no outstanding debts. In an interview, Good said he was certain his campaign had settled up all its bills and felt the negative balance reflected in his report was most likely due to a discrepancy in the forms dealing with in-kind contributions.

He said he had not been able to pinpoint the error prior to this last reporting deadline but would take a closer look before the next deadline rolls around. Political candidates must continue filing finance reports until they close out their campaign accounts. They are not allowed to do that if their account is in deficit.

Randy Nelson, who was elected to his first full term in office after serving on council in an interim capacity, deposited a $5,000 donation from outgoing Vice Mayor Bert Dodson on May 6, two days after the election. This was the only candidate contribution Dodson made in the race, but it made him the biggest individual donor of the campaign.

Prior to zeroing out his account, Nelson was able to repay himself in full for a $1,530 personal loan he had made to his own coffers. He donated his remaining funds, $800, to a series of local charities in increments of $50 to $200.

- Ted Hannon, the race’s fifth-place finisher, still had $2,244 in his bank account as of June 10. In an interview, Hannon said he had not yet decided what to do with that cash. Election laws provide a handful of options in these cases. Choices include charitable donations or use in future political endeavors.

Other candidates still carrying a positive bank balance were Cary with $144 and James Coleman with $928.46.

- J.P. Vaughan, who finished sixth in the election, ended up with the biggest surplus of the campaign with $4,380.39. He was the race’s second highest fundraiser behind Nelson but only the third biggest spender. He reported donating his remaining funds to a string of local charities in increments of $250 to $880.39.

- Foster and Brent Robertson reported having no surplus funds after paying for their campaign expenses. Robertson, who finished last in the election, had not raised any new contributions since March.

- Cary was able to repay himself for $3,500 of a $4,000 personal loan he had made to his own campaign.

Overall, the field of candidates reported amassing close to $153,000 in campaign revenue. Expenditures totaled about $150,125.