Shawnee County Commission candidates for 1st District spending less this election cycle
Considerably less money is being donated this year than four years ago to candidates seeking the 1st District seat on the Shawnee County Commission.
In 2018, $48,600 had been contributed as of 12 days before the election to the campaigns of Democrat Chris Palmer and Republican Bill Riphahn, who raised less money but won.
This year, the total donated over that same time period is $12,290 to the campaigns of Democrat Pam Foster and Riphahn, the incumbent.
Bill Riphahn and Pam Foster have brought in comparable donations
The Capital-Journal on Monday acquired campaign finance reports for Foster and Riphahn from the office of Shawnee County Election Commissioner Andrew Howell. Candidates in Nov. 8 races up had been required by 5 p.m. Monday to file reports detailing income their campaigns brought in and money expended between July 22 and Oct. 27.
As of 12 days before the election in 2018, Palmer's campaign had received donations totaling $31,185 while contributions to Riphahn's campaign totaled $17,415, for an overall total of $48,600.
This year, records show Riphahn had received donations in the amount of $6,925 compared to $5,365 for Foster, totaling $12,290.
Contributions to Riphahn's campaign made during the recently ended time period included $1,275 Riphahn donated to his own campaign, that campaign's report said.
The amount donated to Riphahn's campaign by others, of $5,650, was $285 more than the $5,365 contributed to Foster's campaign by others.
Riphahn's campaign report said it accepted donations during the recently ended reporting period that included $500 each — the maximum amount allowed by law — from Doug Iliff, Capital Trucking LLC, Dan Holloway, Morse Inc. and KS Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc.
Foster's report indicated her campaign received donations in the amount of $500 from Orion Jordan; Mike Kaye and Susana Valdovinos; and NE Kansas Building & Construction Trades.
More:Pam Foster points to education and business in bid for District 1 seat on Shawnee County Commission
Both candidates are retired
Foster retired last November from Washburn University, where she served as equal opportunity director, Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, Title IX coordinator and as an adjunct professor.
She previously worked at Kansas State University as an associate director of equal opportunity and worked as a risk manager for community health care systems.
Riphahn was a longtime parks and recreation director of planning and development. He worked for the city of Topeka from 1987 until the city and county parks and recreation departments merged under county control in 2012.
Riphahn then worked for the county until he retired from its parks and recreation department after being elected to the county commission in November 2018.
No Democrat since 1979 has held the seat in the 1st District, where election office records show that as of mid-July the registered 41,746 voters include 17,086 Republicans, 11,994 Democrats, 12,197 unaffiliated voters and 469 Libertarians.
More:Shawnee County District 1 Commissioner Bill Riphahn announces re-election bid
No reports available for group advocating for Gage Park ballot question
State law doesn't require a report to be turned in until late December by Vote Gage Park, a nonprofit group that is advocating the approval of a ballot question that would implement a 0.2% sales tax, for which all revenue would go to benefit Gage Park, the Topeka Zoo and the Kansas Children's Discovery Center.
In addition to helping make Gage Park an even better place, supporters say the sales tax's approval could reduce by more than $2 million the amount needed annually in property tax revenue to fund Gage Park and the zoo.
Tim Hrenchir can be reached at 785-213-5934 or threnchir@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Less spent on 1st District County Shawnee County Commission seat race
