Little leads fundraising in Lakeville mayoral race
That could change when Bellows switches to campaign mode
by Aaron Vehling
Thisweek Newspapers
The 2012 Lakeville mayoral race has two declared candidates so far, incumbent Mayor Mark Bellows and challenger and City Council Member Matt Little.
The fundraising numbers show Little with a significant lead in contributions with more than $8,000 reported versus Bellows’ zero dollars.
Given that the filing deadline for mayoral candidates is not until Aug. 14, the landscape could change. What follows is a snapshot of the race so far.
Bellows
Bellows said he has not raised any money because it is “too early in the process.”
“I haven’t put any energy into my campaign in that way,” he said.
Lakeville Mayor Mark Bellows
A look at his 2010 campaign finance report from his first mayoral race might indicate a general outlook for this year’s fundraising efforts.
Bellows raised more than $6,000 in 2010 and spent most of it, according to his report.
The donor list was largely local names, including business owners such as James and Michael White of White Funeral Homes; Council Member and real estate developer Colleen LaBeau and her developer father James Stanton; and Chamber of Commerce Vice President Sheila Longie. There also was a $300 contribution from the Minnesota Association of Realtors Political Action Committee.
His campaign’s expenses were typical of local races: newspaper ads, fliers and signs.
Little
At least part of the reason for Little’s total cash-in-hand is that he has been actively fundraising since the first quarter of 2011, when he was raising cash for his city council campaign committee.
On his Facebook page and Twitter feed, Little has operated fundraising drives with incentives such as matching funds from his brother and themed goals, such as aspiring to earn $2,012 in contributions in one week. He achieved that goal, earning $2,245 in the two days before this story went to press.
Council Member Matt Little
Little provided Thisweek with the locations and contribution amounts for donors who did not exceed $100 – and thus were not required to be itemized in the finance report.
Thisweek acquired the rest of the information from public reports to the Lakeville city clerk, as the newspaper did with Bellows’ information.
The source of Little’s 2011 and 2012 contributions are a diverse array of people from around the Twin Cities metro and several states, including Ohio, West Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin.
“I raise money from friends, family and previous co-workers who live all over the United States,” he said.
The largest single-contributor totals were from friends and family in Lakeville, but he raised at least $200 in the current cycle from the PACs of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and the Sheet Metal Workers, two unions.
Some of the Little mayoral campaign’s cash-on-hand was originally donated to his council campaign last year, he said. The latter raised about $1,775, some of which it spent with the balance of $1,302 transferred to the mayoral campaign, with another $2,309 raised on top of that.
The rest of the more than $8,000 total came in January and early February.
The path of Little’s fundraising adheres closely to that of his 2010 campaign for city council, though his 2011 and 2012 efforts have seen a number of contributions in the $5, $10 and $20 range from the area.
His 2010 campaign finance report indicates he received about $7,900 for that entire year, with such expenditures as yard signs, newspaper ads, postal services, parade candy and a $60 donation to Taste of Lakeville.
Little also reported $175 spent on wages for campaign staff and nearly $700 in “walking literature,” the stuff handed out to voters during a campaign.
As with his most recently reported contributions, in 2010 he received money from donors in the Twin Cities and in several states. He received $300 from Dan Regan of Airlake Development, on top of contributions from local family and friends. About $1,000 of the 2010 contributions was from union PACs such the Illinois Letter Carriers, the IUPAT and the St. Paul Regional Labor Foundation.
The filing period for candidates for public office in Lakeville this year runs from July 31 to Aug. 14.
Aaron Vehling is at aaron.vehling@ecm-inc.com or www.facebook.com/thisweeklive.
Great response from Mayor Bellows of Lakeville.
He is busy doing the business for the people of Lakeville rather than solidifying his own power or trying to build some dynasty.
Well done Mayor Bellows!
Matt Little seems to be gladly taking money from every special interest group, especially the unions! Union membership is aobut 12% but they want to control 100% of politics. Way to sell yourself out Mr. Little!
I am a fellow student of Little at the U of M law school (yes, he’s a professional student). Even among law students he stands out as a hack and opportunist. Bellows has my vote.
I think both men(kids) lack maturity to be mayor of our beautiful and friendly city.
I am glad to see others see what Mr. Little is doing. Using Lakeville for his political gain, his stepping stone into the “big leagues”.
Not impressed by the Mayor or Mr. Little. Both can go away as far as I am concerned.
Little is trying to use this as a potential launching pad…others plan on living here for the next 30 years and are looking to make this a better city to live in
Looks like Mr. Bellows biggest supporter is this paper. Un-biased reporting has never been a strong point for this “fish-wrapper”. The mayor hasn’t starting raising money because he knows he is a “1 Term” man. Good Bye Mark.
The last position Mr. Little ran for was VP of GAPSA, a student lobbying organization. He quit halfway into his term. Lakeville deserves better than a form lobbyist and quitter.