The money behind Centre County candidates: $205K raised for commissioners and other races
More than $200,000 has been donated to candidates running for countywide seats in Happy Valley in the most recent campaign finance filings.
The four candidates in the run for the Centre County board of commissioners raised the majority of that money — more than $180,000.
Through campaign finance data provided by the candidates via the Centre County Elections Office, anyone can see how much money has been raised by a candidate, how much an individual or political action committee has donated, and what a candidate has spent the money on.
The Centre Daily Times has combed through hundreds pages of donations and expenditures to understand who is funding local campaigns, including countywide races. We’ve analyzed data in races for Centre County commissioners and row offices, including controller, recorder of deeds and treasurer. (Info on school board campaign finance reports can be found here.)
Below is how much each candidate in these races has raised and spent in their respective races, as well as top donors and largest aggregate expenses. Scott Sayers, coroner candidate, did not exceed $250 and therefore isn’t included in this article.
The most recent filing, Cycle 5, ran through June 6 through Oct. 23, and was due on Oct. 27. Candidates are now in a 24-hour reporting period, where they have to report each day if they received any donations, up to and including Nov. 7. This article will not account for those donations.
The municipal election is Nov. 7.
Commissioners
Teamwork Centre County
Teamwork Centre County, which supports Democrats Mark Higgins and Amber Concepcion, reported raising $131,657.61 and spending $98,232.21 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $7,531.32 from the last report and has $40,956.72 on hand.
Top PACs
$30,000 from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 1520, of Harrisburg
$20,259.33 from Friends of Amber Concepcion
$20,259.33 from Friends of Mark Higgins
$17,500 from Democracy First PAC, of Washington D.C.
$15,000 from Operating Engineers Local 66, of Pittsburgh
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$900 from Zoe Boniface, of State College, self employed
$570 from Mary Chiswick, of State College, retired
$500 from Dan and Linda Trevino, of Port Matilda, retired
$500 from Evan Myers, of State College, executive at AccuWeather
$500 from Pam Zimmerman, of State College, not employed
Top Aggregate Expenses
$38,691.15 at Erikson Communication Group for ads, fundraising and video work
$39,070 at PA State Democratic Committee for mailing service and payroll
$4,756 at Centre County Gazette for advertising
$4,458 to Mark Higgins for parade candy reimbursement, chili cook-off expenses and sign materials
$2,638.95 at Bayard Printing Group for printing
Amber Concepcion, Democrat
Friends of Amber Concepcion reported raising $12,659 and spending $22,149.46 during Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $15,104.80 from the last cycle and has $5,639.09 on hand.
Top PACs
$10,000, Local 520 Plumbers & Pipefitters, of Harrisburg
$1,000, PA Realtors PAC, of Lemoyne
$500, IBEW Local Union 5 PAC, of Pittsburgh
$250, Iron Workers Local 3 PAC, of Pittsburgh
$249, Friends of Scott Conklin
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$250, Timothy Henward, of State College
$275, Timothy Dunleavy, of State College
$100, Roser Basewell, of Bellefonte
$75, Harry Welles, of Bellefonte
$60, Peter Buck, of State College
Top Aggregate Expenses
$20,521.43 to Teamwork Centre County for parade candy, gas. A large chunk of it, $20,000, did not include a description of the expense.
$1,000 to Centre County Democratic Committee
$500 to Howard Fire Company for an event sponsorship
$76.39 to Amber Concepcion for stamps and Meta advertising
$26.89 to Act Blue for donation processing and credit card fees
Mark Higgins, Democrat
Friends of Mark Higgins reported raising $9,399 and spending $23,702.65 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $19,150.84 from the last report and has $4,847.19 on hand.
Top Individual Aggregate Donations (including PACs)
$7,000, Plumbers and Pipefitters 520, of Harrisburg
$1,000, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 5, of Pittsburgh
$250, Bernard Cantorna, of State College
$250, Ironworkers Local 3 PAC, of Pittsburgh
$250, Joy Vincent Killian, of State College
Top Aggregate Expenses
$20,521.44 to Teamwork Centre County for parade candy and “services”
$1,150 to Centre County Jr. Livestock Association for grand champion rabbit
$1,000 to Centre County Democratic Committee for “services”
$500 to Howard Fire Company for Punkin Chunkin sponsor
$462 to Mark Higgins for postage
Steve Dershem, Republican
Friends of Steve Dershem reported raising $1,500, none from individual donations, and spending $2,347.64 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $1,665.76 from the last report and has $818.12 on hand.
Top PACs
$1,000 from PA Realtors Political Action Committee, of Lemoyne
$500 from GT Commonwealth Fund, of Harrisburg
Top Aggregate Expenses
$1,502 at Seven Mountains Media for ads
$412.50 at Philipsburg Journal for ads
$393 at Centre County Gazette for ads
$39.96 at Citizens Bank for service charges
Marie Librizzi, Republican
Marie Librizzi reported raising $294.79 and spending $25,294.79 during Cycle 5.
Top Aggregate Expenses
$25,000 to the Campaign to Elect Marie Librizzi as a loan to the committee
$129.93 to Facebook for online advertising
$100.84 to Sam’s Club for parade candy
Marie 2023, which supports Librizzi, reported raising $50,296.20 and spending $46,955.83 during Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $5,216.98 from the last report and has $8,557.35 on hand.
Top PACs
$5,500 from GT Commonwealth Fund, of Harrisburg
$2,000 from Benninghoff for Rep, of Bellefonte
$1,000 from Friends of Cris Dush, of Brookville
$1,000 from PA Realtors PAC, of Lemoyne
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$25,000 from Marie Librizzi
$2,550 from Daniel R. Hawbaker, of Port Matilda, manager at Glenn O. Hawbaker
$2,550 from Thomas Songer, of State College, self-employed land developer
$1,250 from Robert Poole Jr., of State College, business owner, S+A Homes
$750 from Wendy and Daniel Mead, of State College, retired
Marie 2023 reported a $250 donation from Trombley Real Estate, but the Campaign Finance law states that corporations and unincorporated associations can’t make a contribution to candidates or political committees.
Top Aggregate Expenses
$22,593.46 at Grove Printing Inc. for postcards, printing and postage
$6,417 at Centre County Gazette for print ads
$5,619.18 at 4 All Promos for post-it notes and bread slice hand fans
$2,862 at The Sign Factory for signs
$1,567.95 at Signs on the Cheap for signs
Controller
Jason Moser, Democrat
Friends of Jason Moser reported raising $2,460.50 and spending $1,597.05 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $270.58 from the last report and has $1,134.03 on hand.
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$250, Harry Welles, of Bellefonte
$250, Colleen Kennedy, of State College
$149, Evan Myers, of State College
$111, Laura Kemper, of State College
Top Aggregate Expenses
$521.33 to Teamwork Centre County for parade candy
$325 at Sign Rocket for yard signs
$167.67 at Happy Valley Vineyards for an events
$162.60 at Hotcards for palm cards
$132.64 to Centre County Democratic Committee for dinner registration
Trevor Stauffer, Republican
The Committee to Elect Trevor Stauffer reported raising $2,150.34 and spending $1,557.54 in Cycle 5. The committee has $592.80 on hand.
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$200, Tammy Irion, of Bellefonte
$1,000, Kerry Benninghoff, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania State House Representative
$525.34, Pamela Stauffer of Bellefonte, owner of Valley Ace Hardware
$300, Russell Brooks, of Centre Hall
Top Aggregate Expenses
$1,214.47 at VistaPrint for banners and signs
$150.65 at Signs on the Cheap for yard signs
$108.99 at Sign Hero for sign stands
$45.31 at Dollar General, no description provided
$38.12 at Valley Ace Hardware for concrete for signs
Treasurer
Colleen Kennedy, Democrat
Friends of Colleen Kennedy reported raising $1,147.50 and spending $912.50 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $2,363.45 from the last report and has $2,598.45 on hand.
All individual donations were under $50 each.
The committee spent $912.50 at SignRocket.com on yard signs, printing and shipping.
Justin Behrens, Republican
Centre County Future PAC, which supports Justin Behrens, reported raising $500 and spending $3,134.29 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $4,906.16 from the last report and has $2,271.87 on hand.
Friends of Cris Dush, of Brookville, donated $500.
The committee spent $2,649.29 at PDQ for yard signs and mini totes and $485 at Barash Media for advertising.
In previous cycles, Centre County Future PAC reported contributions from Justin Behrens, although those instances were not included on the candidate’s individual filing.
Recorder of Deeds
Joe Davidson, Republican
The Committee to Elect Joe Davidson reported raising $1,298 and spending $12,099 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $12,226.13 from the last report and has $1,424.91 on hand.
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$500, Realtors PAC, of Lemoyne
$249, Nancy Dreibelbis, of State College
$249, Galen Dreibelbis, of State College
$100, William and Karen Long, of Bellefonte
$100, Glenn and Penny Thompson, of Howard
Top Aggregate Expenses
$3,896.28 at Colonial Press for mailers
$2,000 at Effectv for TV advertising
$1,443.72 at Capitol Promotions for football schedule magnets
$1,055 at Centre County Gazette for ads
$970 at Barash Media for ads
Robert Zeigler, Democrat
Zeigler for a Better Tomorrow, which supports Robert Zeigler, reported raising $8,868.99 and spending $8,947.09 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $433.05 from the last report and has $354.95 on hand.
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$2,500, George Reichard, of Roswell, Georgia. CEO of Clue Solutions, Inc.
$400, Christina Asch, not employed
$250, Annemarie Mountz, of State College
$250, Colleen Kennedy, of State College
$250, Elizabeth Wilkinson, of State College
$250 Jenna Henry, of State College
Top Aggregate Expenses
$3,375 at Rideshare2Vote for campaign services/outreach
$2,077.70 at Politics Rewired: Spoke for texting services
$717 at Centre County Gazette for ads
$480 at Bargain Sheets for ads
$460.02 at Big Springs Spirits for campaign event/fundraiser
Prothonotary
Jeremy Breon, Democrat
Friends of Jeremy Breon reported raising $1,335 and spending $1,945.01 in Cycle 5. The committee brought forward $1,395.82 from the last cycle and has $785.81 on hand.
Top Individual Aggregate Donations
$200, Margaret Swoboda, of Julian
$150, Bryan Neft, of Pittsburgh
$150, Demstock, of Bradford
$150, Sean McGraw, of State College
Top Aggregate Expenses
$750 to Centre County Democrats for mailers
$527.88 at Capitol Promotion for promotional materials
$521.44 to Teamwork Centre County for parade candy and a banner
$112.42 at Bayard Printing for printed envelopes
Sheriff
Bryan Sampsel, Republican
Sampsel for Sheriff reported spending $1,095.94 in Cycle 5 and has $399.06 on hand.
Top Aggregate Expenses
$555.94 at Capitol Promotions for signs
$240 at ReMarkables for stickers
$100 to Centre County Republican Committee for advertising
$100 to Lady Raider Basketball booster for a donation
$100 to Centre County Grange Fair for a donation
Register of Wills
Christine Millinder, Republican
The Committee for Christine Millinder Register of Wills reported no donations for Cycle 5 and $365.36 in expenditures. The committee brought forward $3,815.26 from the previous cycle and has $3,449.90 on hand.
Top Aggregate Expenses
$170 to Centre County Republican Committee for Grange Fair handouts
57.20 at Sam’s Club for parade candy
$50 at Centre County Grange Fair for POW/MIA/Veterans tribute project
$50 to Friends of Chris Morelli for campaign donation
$38.16 to Grove Printing for Grange Fair handouts
