Fundraising for City Council races exceeds $130,000 — who's bankrolling candidates?

Note: a previous version of this story incorrectly the stated the amount a candidate donated to their own campaign.

Wide campaign funding disparities abound among Springfield City Council candidates in the latest campaign finance filing 40 days out from the city's April elections.

Much of that disparity originates from Springfield's business community largely backing one candidate in each race. The largest single donor in many of the competitive races is the Springfield Good Government Committee, a joint PAC between the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield.

The PAC has endorsed four candidates in the April 2023 municipal election — Mayor Ken McClure, incumbent council member Abe McGull, and newcomers Callie Carroll and Derek Lee.

Formed in 2008, the committee has its own bylaws and a separate governing board and finances from the Chamber and the HBA, according to its website.

More:Chamber-backed Good Government Committee endorses in mayor, council races

So far in the 2023 campaign, the Good Government Committee has raised a combined $24,046 of direct and in-kind contributions for their endorsed candidates.

Here are what Springfield City Council and mayoral candidates have raised so far in the municipal campaign.

Mayor

Incumbent Mayor Ken McClure has raised a total of $69,359 for his final reelection campaign — $43,882 in this quarter. Challenger Melanie Bach has raised a total of $12,205, with $5,115 raised this quarter. Bach has not put any of her own money into her campaign and has received $1,000 from local Teamsters 245 PAC.

McClure has received funds from several political PACs that have endorsed his candidacy. These include a $4,682 in-kind donation from the Chamber-backed Good Government Committee, a $2,500 donation from the Southern MO Professional Firefighters PAC #152, and $1,000 from the Central Bank of the Ozarks PAC.

Notable individual donations to McClure include:

• $5,000 - William Darr - Retired International Dehydrated Foods, Inc. founder

• $5,000 - Gail Smart - Wife of Missouri State University President Clif Smart

• $500 - Thomas Prater - Former Springfield City Council member

• $500 - Chandler Carlson - Wife of former mayor and Springfield Daily Citizen publisher Tom Carlson

• $500 - Hal Higdon - Ozarks Technical Community College chancellor

• $500 - Brian Fogle - Community Foundation of the Ozarks president

• $500 - Jim Anderson - Former Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce president

• $250 - Andrew Doolittle - Developer of Loose Goose, approved by City Council in 2022

McClure has spent $20,811 so far in the campaign and has more than $45,000 left on hand. Much of the expenditures have gone to Victory Enterprises, a political consulting firm based in Iowa. Victory Enterprises expenses include $8,000 for campaign management, more than $6,000 for yard signs, more than $2,000 for website expenses, and $3,000 for opposition research against his opponent Melanie Bach.

More:'If we do not grow, we will decline': Development takes center stage in mayoral contest

Zone 3

David Nokes has raised $9,634 for his Zone 3 campaign, compared to just $1,470 raised by his opponent Brandon Jenson.

Nokes' largest donations came from the Wilson family, founders of the local Rapid Roberts gas station chain. Retired founder Robert Wilson has donated $2,596 to the campaign, while Rapid Roberts COO Todd Wilson has donated $1,929 in in-kind contributions.

Other notable donors to Nokes' campaign include Springfield school board member Kelly Byrne and developer Ralph Duda, who have donated $500 and $750 to Nokes, respectively. Nokes has donated $707 of his own money to his campaign.

More:Generational battle in Zone 3 council race over public safety, equity, neighborhood trust

Nokes did not report any donations from the Springfield Police Officers Association or Greene County Deputies Association, which have endorsed his candidacy.

Nokes has spent $4,336 so far in the campaign and has $2,366 on hand.

Jenson has received a $50 donation from incumbent Zone 3 councilman Mike Schilling and a $250 donation from the Springfield Central Labor Council, which has endorsed his candidacy. Jenson has donated $170 to his campaign. He has spent $481 in the campaign so far.

General Seat C

In her citywide City Council campaign, Callie Carroll has raised $16,383, but has only spent $292. Her opponent for the General Seat C race, Jeremy Dean, has only raised $975 and spent less than a $100 of that.

Between in-kind and monetary donations, over half of Carroll's campaign haul comes from the Springfield Good Government Committee — totaling $9,682.

Dean has received $500 from the Teamsters 245 PAC and $200 from former Democratic Missouri House of Representatives candidate Amy Blansit.

General Seat D

In his campaign for General Seat D, Derek Lee has raised $25,597 — massively out-raising opponent Bruce Adib-Yazdi's $1,350.

Almost half of Lee's campaign funds come from the Springfield Good Government Committee. As of Feb. 23, the Good Government Committee has donated $9,682 to his campaign.

Other notable donors include dual $250 donations from Springfield school board member Kelly Byrne and the PAC of Central Bank of the Ozarks. Since the beginning of the campaign, Lee has donated $3,020 of his own money. Lee has spent just over $10,000 of his funds in this quarter and $10,317 remain on hand.

Adib-Yazdi has donated $1,000 of his own money to his campaign. He has also received a pair of $50 donations from outgoing councilman Schilling and the Greater Springfield Central Labor Council. Adib-Yazdi has not yet spent money for his campaign.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Campaign finance filings reveal donations in Springfield council races