Candidates appearing on the ballot for the Nov. 7 special election filed the first round of campaign finance reports to highlight donations and spending leading up to election day.
Tuesday marked the deadline to file the pre-election report, as mandated by the Mississippi Secretary of State. The next deadline for pre-runoff reports is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 21.
The final filing deadline for annual reports will be Jan. 31, 2018.
The Mississippi Secretary of State’s office says a candidate or political committee which fails to timely file a campaign finance disclosure report will be assessed a civil penalty beginning with the 10th calendar day after the report is due.
Beginning with the 10th calendar day, the Secretary of State’s office will assess the delinquent candidate or political committee a civil penalty of $50.00 for each day or part of any day until a complete and substantially compliant report is filed with the Secretary of State, up to a maximum of 10 days.
An intentional violation of the campaign finance disclosure law is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of $3,000, six months imprisonment, or both, according to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office.
The reporting period covers the time from Jan. 1 to Oct. 28, 2017.
Candidates for the Mississippi House of Representatives District 38 filed campaign finance reports in Jackson, which had not been obtained by the Starkville Daily News asof press deadline on Tuesday.
OCH REFERENDUM
The grassroots effort fighting to keep OCH Regional Medical Center locally-owned filed a campaign finance report on Tuesday, which detailed fundraising efforts for the cause.
Friends of OCH reported $38.850 in itemized contributions and $4,880 in non-itemized contributions. For the calendar year-to-date, Friends of OCH has raised $43,730. For cash on hand, the organization reported $27,258.33 on the Tuesday filing deadline.
Jeff Read is listed on the filing form as the treasurer of the organization.
The organization has spent a total of $16,471.67 for the calendar year-to-date, with the lion’s share of donations coming from OCH employees. This includes a $500 donation from OCH Administrator Richard Hilton.
The largest individual donation came from radiologist Michael Buehler, who kicked in $4,000 to the campaign for the year-to-date.
In terms of corporate donations, Friends of OCH received the following donations from the corresponding entities: Mississippi Bone and Joint Clinic ($1,000), Starkville Surgical Associates ($1,000), the OCH Medical Staff Fund ($7,500), Starkville Orthopedic Clinic ($600), and Sullivan’s Office Supply ($500).
Advertising made up the brunt of the organization’s expenses, including: $4,630.13 for video production by Atomic Pictures, $7,899.25 for signs from Pollan Promos, and $1,797.87 for T-shirts from Deep South and Co. Friends of OCH also purchased advertising from the Starkville Daily News in the amount of $721.90.
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY CHANCERY CLERK
Candidates for chancery clerk include: Tina Fisher, Martesa Bishop Flowers, Margaret Monique Jordan, Sharon Livingston, Barbara Mitchell and Hattie Tutton Ridgel.
Filings from Jordan, Livingston and Ridgel had not been received by the Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk’s office by the end of the business day on Tuesday.
Flowers currently leads the way in terms of total contributions, reporting $11,657 in total contributions for the calendar year-to-date. Flowers spent $11,526.16 - leaving $130.84 in cash on hand.
Of the contributions, $9,580 was listed as itemized while $2077 was non-itemized for Flowers.
The largest contributions for Flowers’ campaign came from her own pocket, totaling $8,980 for the aggregate year-to-date. She also received donations from Dan Camp Family Real Estate in the amount of $600.
Mitchell finished with the second-highest amount of contributions among the candidates who met the deadline, reporting $6,589.73 raised for the calendar year-to-date.
All of Mitchell’s campaign funds were spent, leaving no cash on hand.
Mitchell’s largest contribution came from out of pocket, in the amount of $4,000. Of her contributions, $4,300 was listed as itemized, while $2,289.73 was reported as non-itemized.
She also purchased advertising in the Starkville Daily News in the amount of $250.
Fisher rounds out the chancery clerk candidates with a contribution total of $4,848.50, of which all has been spent. All of Fisher’s contributions were listed as itemized, with her largest single contribution coming from farmer Roy Fisher in the amount of $2,998.50.
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY CIRCUIT CLERK
The candidates vying for the circuit clerk’s office include: Teresa Davis, Sheryl Elmore, Tony Rook, Stephanie Morgan Snyder and Elaine Boykin Turner.
The Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk’s office did not receive a pre-election report from Turner by the close of business on Tuesday.
Rook led all candidates who met the filing deadline with $17,061 in total contributions for the calendar year-to-date.
Of the contributions to Rook’s war chest, $7,700 was listed as itemized, while $9,361 was reported as non-itemized.
Rook paid out $7,506.74 in itemized disbursements and $1,058.02 in non-itemized.
For the reporting period, Rook spent a total of $8,564.76, with his cash on hand reported at $8,496.24.
In terms of Rook’s largest contributions, two came from
his own pocket in the amounts of $1,000 and $4,000, while another $1,000 donation was kicked in to his campaign by attorney Maurice H. Hall, Jr.
Rook’s largest payout went to Pollan Promos for campaign signs in the amount of $4,038.95 for the calendar year-to-date. Rook also took out advertising in the Starkville Daily News in the amount of $325.
Elmore came in second for the most contributed to her campaign, reporting $10,820 for the calendar year-to-date.
Of those contributions, $8,800 was listed as itemized. Elmore spent a total of $6,498.33 for the reporting period, leaving $4,321.67 in cash on hand.
The two largest contributions to Elmore’s campaign came in the form of two $4,000 payouts from her out pocket.
Elmore’s largest payout went to A2Z Printing for signs and magnets in the amount of $4,559.89 for the calendar year-to-date. She also purchased advertising in the Starkville Daily News in the amount of $400.
Davis reported $2,550 in total contributions for the reporting period, with $1,800 listed as itemized. However, Davis paid out $7,418.86 for the calendar year-to-date, with $6,043.86 listed as itemized.
Davis reported no cash on hand for her campaign.
Davis’ largest payout came in the amount of $3,905.25 to Cross & Oberlie of Neenah, Wisconsin, with the optional “purpose of the disbursement” not specified.
Davis’ largest individual contribution came in a $1,000 donation from U.S. Army veteran Lena Anderson of Killeen, Texas.
Snyder reported no contributions on the pre-election report, but reported paying out $1,130.96 in itemized disbursements for the reporting period. Snyder also reported no cash on hand for her campaign.
Snyder’s largest payout went to Just Yard Signs of Orlando, Florida, in the amount of $490.
DISTRICT 1 CONSTABLE
The race for District 1 Constable includes Shank Phelps and Joe Morse.
The Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk’s office did not receive a pre-election report from Morse by the close of business on Tuesday.
Phelps did not report any contributions, paying all of his campaign costs out of pocket, which totaled $751.06.
Phelps’ largest individual payout came in the amount of $475 to Pitts Signs of Starkville for campaign signs.