Five Durham candidates filed pre-election campaign finance reports this week, and the lists of contributors didn’t include many surprises, but were interesting nonetheless. Candidates raising or spending more than $3,000 in their campaigns this fall were required to file pre-election reports.
Among the highlights: Mayor Bill Bell received contributions from Charles Wilson, of C.T. Wilson Construction, and long-time former Sheriff Roland Leary.
Bell contributed $100 to incumbent Mayor Pro-Tem Cora Cole-McFadden, who is running for City Council in Ward I against newcomer Donald Hughes. Cole-McFadden is seeking her third term on the Council. Her roll of contributors also included retired school board Chairwoman Kathryn Meyers, Steve Toler, a frequent consultant to city and county boards, and Virginia Bowman, CEO of Northgate Mall, and Steve Schewel, primary owner of the Independent Weekly newspaper. She also took contributions from Phail Wynn, an executive vice president at Duke University, and Charles Wilson Jr., CEO of C.T. Wilson Construction.
Hughes’ report included a $150 contribution from Darius Little, a candidate who fell short in this month’s Ward II primary against Howard Clement.
Howard Clement, meanwhile, also had a roll of contributors with notable names: Lewis Cheek, former member of both City Council and Board of County Commissioners, District Attorney Tracey Cline, Don Moffitt of the Durham Planning Commission and George Beischer, a stakeholder in the Croasdaile Farm development. He also received $500 each from the N.C. Homebuilders Association and the N.C. Realtors PAC.
In Ward III, only incumbent Mike Woodard filed a report, and listed contributions from developer Robert Teer and Josh Parker, a developer and previous candidate for public office in Durham.
Candidates Matt Drew (Ward II), Steven Williams (mayoral race) and Allan Polak (Ward III) signed documents stating their campaign fundraising and costs were less than $3,000.
