Colorado Springs mayoral candidates continue fundraising push ahead of runoff

Breeanna Jent, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·3 min read

May 3—Colorado Springs mayoral candidates continue their fundraising pushes with just under two weeks to go before the May 16 runoff, raking in the largest donations from local political action committees, businesses and business professionals.

Campaign finance reports filed with the city on Monday show Wayne Williams raised $357,525 in the period between April 11-25 while his opponent in the mayor's race, Yemi Mobolade, raised nearly $60,565 in that same time.

Williams had about $197,360 on hand and Mobolade had about $98,880 as of Monday, according to campaign finance reports.

Williams' largest overall donation this reporting period was $205,000 from the Colorado Springs Forward Political Action Committee, which does not have to disclose its donors. In total, the committee has donated $470,000 to Williams throughout the entirety of his campaign, according to The Gazette's analysis of campaign finance contributions from the beginning.

The former city councilman also received donations of $22,650 each from limited liability companies 13141 BP LLC and 1820 Jet Stream LLC this reporting period. JW Roth, the former CEO of Bourbon Brothers and the founder/CEO of Roth Industries, is the registered agent of both LLCs, according to the Colorado secretary of state's website.

Notes Live, a Springs-based entertainment company that proposed the $40 million, 8,000-seat outdoor amphitheater envisioned southeast of Interstate 25 and North Gate Boulevard, gave an in-kind donation of $17,650 to Williams for an event, filings show. Roth is the founder, CEO and chairman of Notes Live, according to the company's website.

Other large donations for Williams this round include $50,000 from the Political Action Committee of the Housing and Building Association of Colorado and $10,000 from the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association. The Housing and Building Association has given Williams $110,000 in all throughout his campaign and the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association $15,000 total, according to financial reports.

Williams also received $5,850 total between April 11-25 from 12 people associated with the Denver-based lobbying and law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, reports show. Outgoing Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, who leaves office June 6, will join the firm as a shareholder, he announced last month. Suthers has endorsed Williams for mayor.

Mobolade's largest donation this reporting period was $10,000 from John Street, founder and CEO of Pax8, a distribution service based in Greenwood Village. Street has donated $12,500 total to Mobolade's campaign, finance reports show.

Marcie Miller, a fund manager with Miller Investment Management, gave Mobolade just over $5,192; equity investment firm Red Rock Investments Inc. Chief Operating Officer Lisa Tessarowicz donated $4,200; Climate Cabinet, which assists campaigns to run for political office and create legislation on climate change, donated $2,500; and Scott Boss, chief financial officer at Becoming Boss Inc., gave $2,000 to Mobolade during this period.

Miller has given Mobolade just over $6,231 and Tessarowicz more than $10,230 in total throughout his campaign, according to reports.

From April 11-25, Williams spent more than $182,000, with about $106,278 paying for mailings and media, reports show.

Mobolade spent about $62,600 in that period. He spent about $52,310 of that on advertising, campaign mailers and marketing materials, according to campaign finance reports.

The last round of campaign finance reports before the May 16 runoff election are due May 12.