COLUMBIA — The five candidates for the First and Fifth ward seats on the Columbia City Council filed their first round of campaign finance reports on Thursday.
The Missouri Ethics Commission required the reports, which detail campaign finance contributions and spending through Feb. 18, 40 days before the April 4 election.
The reports show that the First Ward candidates — incumbent Clyde Ruffin and challengers Pat Kelley and Andrew Hutchinson — each have a little more than $1,000. In the Fifth Ward, candidates Matt Pitzer and Art Jago had considerably more. They are competing to replace incumbent Laura Nauser, who is not seeking re-election.
Pitzer reported raising $10,771, the most of any candidate.
Here is the campaign finance report Fifth Ward City Council candidate Matt Pitzer filed Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
The portfolio manager for Shelter Insurance received nearly 45 percent of his support from people in the medical and insurance fields. Pitzer said that's because it was the first place he and his wife, Kathleen Pitzer, looked for support.
"Those are the two industries that we work in, so that was kind of the immediate circle of people, and from there we really have been broadening out and just trying to meet as many folks as we can and talk to as many different people as I can in the Fifth Ward," Pitzer said.
Capital Health Management was among Pitzer's top donors, giving the candidate $1,000.
"I’ve known Matt for well over 10 years," Capital Health Management Vice President Brian Kimes said. "He's great in the community, and he's an outstanding citizen, and we know he's good at what he does, good for the ward and good for the city."
Mayor Brian Treece and Nauser donated $500 and $125 to Pitzer, respectively.
"I think that shows a tremendous amount of confidence in me, and I hope to use their support as a kind of a springboard to really build and keep the momentum going through the April 4th election," Pitzer said.
Nauser said that people she has a lot of respect for support Pitzer and that they share the same view of the on-going nine-year effort to expand the city's electric system in south Columbia.
Nauser is an ardent opponent of the transmission line route known as Option A, and voted against the contentious plan in 2013 and 2016. Option A would place the line along Providence Road, Grindstone Parkway, Nifong Boulevard, Vawter School Road and Scott Boulevard. Nauser prefers a route that affects fewer people.
Jago, meanwhile, reported contributions of $5,488, of which $5,038 came from him.
Here is the campaign finance report Fifth Ward City Council candidate Arthur Jago filed Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
"I feel quite confident. I’m pleased with how the campaign is going so far," Jago said, adding that he's getting good response from his door-to-door campaigning.
Mary and Norman Scott Litofsky contributed $250 to Jago, who is a professor of management at MU. They’ve known Jago for 12 years because their children went to school together, first at Jefferson Junior Middle School and then at Rock Bridge High School. Norman Scott is chief of the division of neurological surgery at the MU School of Medicine.
"My husband and I made this contribution because Jago is a very honest person, who works really hard," Mary Litofsky said. "He’s a really dedicated person, and I enjoy being around him. He has the best interest at heart, and we know that he’s going to pursue his objective with determination and dedication ... We believe he’s an excellent candidate.
"It’s money well spent"
In the First Ward, Ruffin reported raising $1,656. Ruffin is a retired theater professor and the pastor at Second Missionary Baptist Church. He could not be reached for comment.
Here is the campaign finance report First Ward City Councilman Clyde Ruffin filed Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Ruffin is seeking re-election.
Deb Sheals, a historic preservation consultant and board member of the Downtown Community Improvement District, donated $250 to Ruffin's re-election campaign. She noted his work to finish the renovation of the J.W. "Blind" Boone Home as a reason for her support.
"That was a rehab project that had probably been in the works for at least 15 years on and off," Sheals said. "He’s really taken the reins with it in recent years."
Here is the campaign finance report First Ward City Council candidate Pat Kelley filed Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Kelley, a longtime active member of the Ridgeway Neighborhood Association who works in the Department of Classical Studies at MU, reported raising $1,230. She could not be reached, and supporters contacted by the Missourian did not return phone calls.
Hutchinson, a 21-year-old MU student, had raised $1,215, according to his report. He said he's pleased with his campaign's fundraising. Some of his contributions came during a poetry slam event at Café Berlin two weeks ago.
Here is the campaign finance report First Ward City Council candidate Andrew Hutchinson filed Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
"At our fundraisers, it has been primarily people giving 5, 10 or 20 bucks," Hutchinson said. "Most of our funding has been through very small donations from students and community members who don't have a lot to give."
Although Hutchinson's fundraising has relied heavily on donations under $100, the campaign received several larger donations as well. Nate Irvin, who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, donated $500 worth of voter software to the campaign.
Supervising editor is Scott Swafford.
