Aranibar coffers leading the pack

MANATEE — Long-time school volunteer and budget committee member Julie Aranibar had the biggest fundraising edge in the Manatee County School Board race as of Thursday.

The District 3 candidate raised $13,420.30 in the most recent reporting period — April 1 to July 16 — bringing her total to $23,335.50. So far she’s surpassed all seven candidates running for three open board seats. The positions are up for election Aug. 24.

Aranibar’s donations far outdistanced those of her opponents, local pastor Albert Yusko and incumbent Jane Pfeilsticker.

Yusko reported $1,609.60 raised in the most recent reporting period, bringing his total to $3,849.60, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website.

Pfeilsticker, 54, reported raising $6,280, bringing her total to $6,730.

Aranibar, 50, has spent $21,593.99 of the $23,335.30 she has raised. She also has received $4,355.83 of in-kind contributions and has reported $2,188 in loans to her campaign. School board Vice Chairman Bob Gause and MEA, the local teacher’s union, are two of 240 contributors included on her treasurer’s report.

Yusko, a 65-year-old Bradenton resident, shows expenditures of $2,621.20 in the most recent reporting period, bringing his total expenditures to $3,753.20. He has not reported any loans or in-kind contributions.

Pfeilsticker, a local pro- fessor and current board chairwoman, reported expenditures of $3,264.74, bringing her total to $3,287.74. Pfeilsticker also showed in-kind contributions of $537.78. She reported one $100 loan.

The other two seats open on the board are District 1 and 5. Parrish resident David Bailey is up against incumbent Barbara Harvey for the District 1 seat. In the District 5 school board race, long-time educator Jennifer Radebach and lawyer and community leader Karen Carpenter are running for the seat being vacated by Walter Miller.

Their contributions and expenses:

n Bailey raised $5,905.30, all in the most recent reporting period. He reported one $2,000 loan, one $250 in-kind contribution and expenditures of $3,975.46.

n Harvey raised $6,025 in the most recent reporting period, bringing her total to $6,125. She reported one $1,500 loan, no in-kind contributions and expenditures of $5,291.36

n Radebach raised $5,720, all of it in the most recent reporting period. She reported two loans for $4,500, no in-kind contributions and expenditures of $5,180.85.

n Carpenter raised $5,920, all of it in the most recent reporting period. She reported no loans, one $750 in-kind contribution and spending of $4,968.85.

The terms of incumbents Harry Kinnan and Gause expire in November 2012.

Candidates must live in the district they seek to represent, but residents can vote for each district seat county wide during the primary.

If there are more than two candidates in a race and no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will take place Nov. 2.

School board members receive $36,115 per year.