Two incumbents, one challenger take early financial advantage in Bradenton elections campaigns

MANATEE -- With the November elections still seven months away, some candidates in Bradenton's municipal elections are off to a healthy start in their campaigns, others are just getting started and a few appear to be lacking financial support. While campaign contributions don't necessarily matter at the ballot box, they can be an indicator of overall support.

Incumbent Mayor Wayne Poston has raised $14,100 since announcing his re-election bid in January. He had a trio of $1,000 donors

in January from local businesses and raised $11,100 in February, again mostly from area business owners and private citizens. Poston has spent $85 thus far on campaign finance software.

According to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, March financial statements are due April 11. Poston said he did not know what his campaign has raised in March, but said there was a successful campaign fundraiser at Pier 22 last week.

"There were at least 50 people there, which is a very nice turnout for a local campaign," said Poston, who has been mayor since 2000. "I'm feeling pretty good and people are happy with what's going on in the city. Everyone seems very positive."

Poston's two opponents didn't return requests for comments. Former Bradenton deputy police chief Warren Merriman, fired from the department last year and later convicted of misdemeanor petit theft, has raised $850, including $500 of his own money. Another $250 was donated by Sarasota-based McIntosh Law Offices, which defended Merriman in his theft trial. Merriman recently reapplied to the Bradenton Police Department for a new position, knowing he would have to drop out of the race if hired.

The city's employee handbook states if an employee is dismissed, the person is ineligible to reapply with the city for two years.

Political newcomer Eleuterio Salazar Jr. announced his mayoral candidacy in December. Salazar, who works at OneBlood, has raised $830 with minimal expenditures, absent March's financial report. He has a $500 donation from Mr. Tequila Restaurant and two citizen donations totaling $65.

Salazar didn't return a call from the Herald, but has been active on social media. While the mayoral race is nonpartisan, Salazar posted March 26 on Facebook he is "proud to be a Democrat/liberal/progressive."

On Feb. 4, Salazar said he would not accept donations from corporations. In February, he accepted $100 from Serendipity Solutions LLC and raised another $165 from seven private citizens. In a January Facebook posting, Salazar criticized Poston's choice of Melanie Bevan as police chief. Salazar called it a publicity stunt "to cheat out four more years in office."

Ward 1

In Bradenton's Ward 1 campaign, incumbent Councilman Gene Gallo announced his re-election bid in February after initially announcing his retirement in November. Gallo said his constituents convinced him to stay for another term. His campaign contributions through March total $34,565. In his first month of reporting, Gallo raised $23,300 and raised an additional $11,265 in March.

According to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website, Gallo loaned his campaign $5,000, but has several $1,000 contributors from business owners, including developers Miller Enterprises of Manatee, Marshall Gobuty and his company Koral & Gobuty, and NDC Construction's Ron Allen. Gallo also received $250 from local development attorney Ed Vogler and various amounts from dozens of constituents. Gallo has spent $1,395 thus far with a one-time expenditure of $1,145 to Lela Hartsaw for political advice and graphic sign designs.

"It's still very early," said Gallo, who has been in office since 1991. "Fundraising is going well and I've got several calls from homeowner's associations that I'm planning to speak with. I've talked to three already and have four more planned. It's going well, but you can never feel confident in politics. It's just not a position I allow myself to be in, and I'll work just as hard as I can work."

Political newcomer Tamara Goudy has raised $1,250, of which $100 is her own money. Goudy, a speech language pathologist, has various private citizens contributing to her campaign, including a $1,000 donor. Goudy has spent $522 thus far, most of which has gone to campaign flyers and volunteer T-shirts.

Goudy said her supporters remain "very upbeat, very supportive and really excited I'm in the race. We are holding a campaign meeting this week with our group to plan some more campaign fundraising, but it's amazing at the turnout I'm getting and I believe it's because we are running a positive campaign. The city is very important to me. I've lived here 33 years. I'm not doing this for accolades. I want to make the city better and people want us focusing on the issues, not the negativity they are seeing elsewhere."

Challenger Devon C. Davis posted on social media her goal to raise $30,000 by the end of March. Her March report has not yet filed. However, thus far, Davis raised $5,100 through February with $5,000 of it her own money. Her expenditures are minimal thus far with $58 on campaign supplies and a $100 in-kind donation of advertising on her husband's and mayoral candidate Merriman's website.

Davis, a luxury home expert for Premier Sotheby's International Realty, did not return a call for comment, but has been active on social media calling out her fellow candidates on her own and her husband's behalf, asking for a "prequalifying debate."

Davis recently posted a challenge to her husband's fellow candidates, writing, "So if Wayne and the 'young' Mr. Salazar are ready to tell us what they plan on accomplishing the next four years, let's hear about it now and not waste time listening to the same old rhetoric that I keep seeing on Facebook, or what constituents hear from a downtown bar stool."

While the comments were directed at the mayoral candidates, Davis has challenged her fellow candidates as well. Gallo said it's too early to be talking about debates, but looks forward to the annual Bradenton Herald debate later this year, as well as a pending invitation from Freedom Village, which typically invites the candidates to a debate-style town hall meeting sometime after qualifying in June.

Ward 5

In Bradenton's Ward 5 race, challenger Keenan Wooten has jumped out front in campaign contributions with $8,255 raised through February. He loaned his own campaign $4,825 in December, spending $1,725 with Palmetto's Keen Campaigning for consulting services. In January, he raised $245 from various citizens and spent $1,965 to Keen Campaigning. In February, Wooten raised $3,185, spending $2,050, including another $1,600 to Keen Campaigning and $346 on a campaign kickoff event. All of February's donors were private citizens.

Wooten, a teacher with the Manatee County School District, said he isn't certain what March's financial report would look like and would sit down with his campaign team soon in preparation of the April 11 deadline to file March's report.

"The campaign is steadily growing," said Wooten. "It's going great and this is actually the best time of my life, I can truly say that. I've been speaking to community groups and volunteering every week. I'm the only candidate that has attended both political party dinners trying to reach out to everyone, including reaching out to young people. I'm getting a lot of feedback and there's a lot of excitement to bring a fresh perspective to the city council, and I'm just happy to be in this position."

Incumbent Councilman Harold Byrd Jr. only recently kicked off his campaign with $100 of his own money. Byrd said it's too early in the campaign season to fundraise, but he's planning on it soon.

"Quite honestly, I haven't started soliciting funds," said Byrd. "I'm concentrating on the organization, foundation and planning aspects and putting budgets together. After we do that, then I will plan on focusing on fundraising from that point forward, but up to this point, we are just starting that grass roots foundation aspect to the campaign."

Palmetto

Palmetto's election cycle is quiet thus far. Incumbent Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant is unopposed and shows no contributions or expenditures. At-Large Commissioner Jonathan Davis is stepping down to run for the Manatee County Board of Commissioners and only Lawrence Andress has filed to replace Davis. Andress loaned his campaign $200 of his own money with no expenditures

At-Large Commissioner Tamara Cornwell has not yet announced her re-election intentions and no one has filed to challenge her to date.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter @urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Two incumbents, one challenger take early financial advantage in Bradenton elections campaigns ."