Continuing campaign coverage here at Hustle HQ, we hack and slash through the candidates Jan. 15 campaign finance reports. And with three incumbents collecting tens of thousands of dollars from mega-bundler David Armbrust, we had our work cut out for us.
In the Shade
Place 3 incumbent Randi Shade leads the pack, reporting approximately $70,200 raised, $3,444 spent, and $68,592 cash on hand. Like her fellow incumbents, she named bundlers to collect donations on her behalf … and like her fellow incumbents, Armbrust & Brown principal attorney David Armbrust came through as her fund-raising MVP, bundling 38 contributions at the maximum $350 limit for a haul of $13,300. (This number doesn’t include contributions below the $350 cutoff, so Armbrust’s contribution is actually slightly larger. Additionally, you try wading through 70-plus page finance reports – so the Hustle welcomes any corrections or additions from eagle-eyed readers.) Also bundling contributions on Shade’s behalf were Cypress Real Estate Advisors chairman and former Trammell Crow partner Stephen Clark, and Jackson Walker LLP partner and past Real Estate Council of Austin chairman Tim Taylor.
Also contributing to Shade was Texas Disposal Systems principal Bob Gregory ($350) and other members of the TDS/Gregory collective; Alamo Drafthouse creators Tim and Karrie League ($125 each); developer Perry Lorenz and Sheridan Lorenz ($350 each), Council Member Mike Martinez and wife/legislative aide Lara Wendler ($300 each), and in a gesture bestowed on all three incumbents, a whopping $25 each from development attorney Richard Suttle and wife Alison. Just under half of Shade’s expenses take the form of a $1,500 check to Susan Harry for campaign consulting, the rest going to miscellaneous expenses.
The Morrison Connection
Place 4 council member Laura Morrison reported $67,801 in contributions and just over $12,980 in expenditures, leaving $55,280 cash on hand. Bundling-wise, Armbrust did not disappoint, collecting 40 donations at the maximum limit for a contribution of at least $14,000. Cypress’ Stephen Clark also appears as bundler for Morrison, along with TDS’s Bob Gregory.
Three-hundred fifty dollar donors include planning commissioner Danette Chimenti, the Save Our Springs Alliance’s Colin Clark, FixAustin honcho Ryan Clinton, environmentalist Shudde Fath, City of Austin neighborhood liaison Carol Gibbs, Karrie League, Perry and Sheridan Lorenz, city music program manager Don Pitts, and Change Austin co-founder (and rumored Place 3 candidate) Brian Rodgers. Morrison also lent $500 to her campaign. Her expenses largely comprised payments to campaign staffers Jim Wick and Shawn Badgley.
The Riley Factor
Place 1 incumbent Chris Riley reports $41,275 in contributions, just over $1000 in expenditures, and just under $40,240 on hand. Over a third of that amount – $14,700 – arrived in the form of bundles from Armbrust, the Hustle tallying some 43 $350 contributions. Also bundling on Riley’s behalf was Stephen Clark.
Several familiar names are among the $350 contributors: Bob Gregory, Perry and Sheridan Lorenz, Brian Rodgers, plus Bicycle Sport Shop owner Bill Abell and urbanist Jeb Boyt. Riley’s $1,000 in expenditures has gone to miscellaneous campaign and office supplies.
On the Rangel
Stepping down from the big leagues, Morrison’s Place 4 challenger Eric Rangel reports nothing raised and $1,555 spent, over $1,100 of which went towards an event at the Onion Creek Club. But other issues lurk in Rangel’s filing; the candidate seemingly inadvertently filed a “Designation of Final Report” form, including text undersigned by Rangel stating, “I do not expect any further political contributions or political expenditures in connection with my candidacy. I understand that designating a report as a final report terminates my campaign treasurer appointment. I also understand that I may not accept any campaign contributions or make any campaign expenditures without a campaign treasurer appointment on file.”
The Return of Josiah
And lastly, Josiah Ingalls, running against Riley in Place 1, reports just under $53 in expenditures, all from personal funds: $12.95 for web-hosting. and $40 in a new bank account. Ingalls also filed a statement committing not to raise more than $30,000 – the Hustle anticipates his pledge will hold true.
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This article appears in January 14 • 2011.