Plenty Left in the Bank for Town Board, Supervisor Candidates

After political campaign contribution and expense reports were filed last week, numbers show that candidates on both sides of the aisle have plenty left in the bank to wage battle with a month left to go until Election Day.

Despite no major-party opposition, Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst is still working hard to get the word out and raise funds in her first re-election bid. She started the filing period with $28,000 in the bank.

Campaign contribution documents filed last Friday show that the Independence Party member running on the Democratic line spent nearly $30,000 between mid-July and Oct. 7, while raising more than $23,000. Numbers show that over half of her expenses went to a New York City-based video production company and another $2,200 went to conduct a polling survey.

While Throne-Holst reported only 11 individual contributors since mid-July, six of them donated more than $1,250. Other contributions include $5,000 each from Smith and Wollensky Operating Corp. and Stonebrook Fund Management, both based out of New York City. She retained a balance of nearly $15,000 as of last Friday.

Write-in candidate and former supervisor Linda Kabot has just over $4,300 to spend in the final stretch. Southampton resident Susan Allen was listed as Kabot's largest contributor, donating $1,000. Kabot loaned her campaign $250 and spent more than $50 filing for voter records and absentee ballot records with the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Democrat Bridget Fleming is the only incumbent candidate running for town council, as Republican Nancy Graboski's seat opens up due to term limits. Fleming reports a balance of almost $20,000 after receiving nearly $25,000 in donations and spending roughly $12,000 since mid-July.

The Suffolk County Democratic Committee transferred more than $13,000 to Fleming's campaign in September, and the campaign transferred $8,000 to the town's Democratic committee. Her largest individual contributor was Audrey Fleming of Virginia, with a $1,000 donation, while Fleming's largest expense was $740 for signs.

Northampton resident Brad Bender, an Independence Party member with the Democratic endorsement and a first-time candidate for town board, spent $17,620 from July to early October, taking more than $15,000 in donations and leaving him with a balance of roughly $9,000.

Bender's long list of contributors from mid-July through October — more than 100 — indicate a more grassroots campaign than his Democratic colleagues. Bender had only two contributions totaling $1,000 or more: $1,800 from Riverhead resident Jesse Goodale, and $1,000 from in Hampton Bays. He spent $3,000 on a fund raiser at and paid $7,000 to the town Democratic Committee.

Republican town board candidates Bill Hughes and Christine Scalera boasted more than 150 individual donors between the two of them.

Scalera rung in more than $24,000 in donations from mid-July through early October and paid out nearly $12,000, with $7,700 going toward a fundraiser at Dockers Waterside Restaurant in East Quogue. With 32 days to go from the filling date to Election Day, she held a balance of roughly $15,000.

Scalera earned the most corporate campaign contributions during this recent cycle, with 23 donations totaling just under $9,000. Her largest corporate donors were and Lawrence III Corp. of Westhampton, each donating $1,250.

Hughes has $13,000 in the bank for the home stretch. He raised $11,500 during the most recent cycle and spent $8,300.

Hughes lists a dozen charity expenses, including Friends of the Big Duck, East Quogue Fire Department, and Hampton Bays Rotary Club. His largest expense is $1,786 for advertising with .

He lists nearly 90 individual donors, the biggest of which came from East Quogue resident Richard Kissane at $500. Hughes' largest contribution came in the form of $1,000 from the Friends of Chris Nuzzi.                                                                 

Correction: An erlier version of this story reported that Bill Hughes' largest expense was over $17,000 in ads. That number was mistakenly reported; the correct number is $1,786.