Two commission incumbents take the lead in campaign fund-raising

With the 2018 election still more than a year away, two incumbents running for re-election to the Manatee County Commission have already received substantial amounts of money.

Commissioner Carol Whitmore, a Republican who is running for re-election to the District 6 at-large seat, leads the way in all commission races with $51,195 raised, according to the Supervisor of Elections website.

Commissioner Robin DiSabatino, a Republican who is running for re-election to the District 4 seat, has received the second most with $34,874.

The third incumbent running for re-election in 2018 to his District 2 seat — Charles Smith — has received $250 to date.

For Whitmore, who was first elected in 2006, the last reporting period, which was the month of May, was the most successful to date. In that period, Whitmore received $49,695.

While the majority of contributions came from individuals, Whitmore received sizable contributions from businesses, including a total of $5,000 from affiliated entities of Benderson Development. Other contributors include $1,000 from Pat Neal, $1,000 from Michael Neal, $1,000 from Neal Land Ventures, $1,000 from Ed Chiles, $1,000 from Manatee Memorial Hospital, $1,000 from Whiting Preston and $5,000 from Falkner Farms and family members.

In the District 6 at-large race, there are two other candidates vying for the seat. Republican Corie Holmes has loaned his campaign $100, which is the only contribution to date. Candy Luther, who is running with no party affiliation, has not received any contributions to date.

Like Whitmore, DiSabatino’s success came in the May reporting period as that’s when DiSabatino, who was first elected in 2010, received the entire $34,874, which came from equal amounts of businesses and individuals.

The businesses contributing to DiSabatino’s campaign range from real estate development to aviation to landscaping. Falkner Farms and family members contributed a total of $5,000 to her campaign. Other contributions include $5,000 from affiliated entities of Benderson Development, $500 from Bealls, $500 from Harvey Vengroff, who developed Robin’s Apartments, and $1,000 from Palmetto Pines, which shares the address of Neal Communities.

DiSabatino’s sole opponent, fellow Republican Laurie Galle, has $225, which came in the way of a candidate loan. Galle filed to run for the District 4 seat May 22, which was toward the end of the reporting period.

In the District 2 race, incumbent Charles Smith, a Democrat who was first elected in 2014, has loaned his campaign $250. His opponent Dimitrie Denis, a Republican, received a $30 loan from his wife, Taura, last April, which is the sole campaign contribution to date.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Two commission incumbents take the lead in campaign fund-raising."