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WARREN -- The race for Warren Municipal Judge between Traci Timko and Patty Leopardi Knepp saw the largest exchange of funds among any of the races, according to preprimary campaign finance reports filed with the Trumbull County Board of Elections.
This reporting cycle is from Jan. 1 to April 12. The reports were supposed to be filed with the board of elections by 4 p.m. Thursday.
Leopardi Knepp had $63,760 available this cycle and Timko had $70,120. Timko ended up outspending her opponent by about $6,000, which leaves them both with just less than $10,000 in their campaign accounts heading into the final week of the election.
Leopardi Knepp brought a $2,430 carryover from her last report, received $11,330 in contributions and loaned her own campaign $50,000. Her largest contributors were Jeanette Franks of Warren, who gave $500, and Lisha Pompili-Baumiller, who gave $400. Knepp also earned $7,480 from a fundraising event.
In other financial cycles, Leopardi Knepp's campaign accepted loans, so the campaign now owes $161,000 in outstanding loans. Knepp's campaign also owes $24,370 in outstanding debts. Of this, $8,110 came from this reporting cycle.
JoAnn Hulvalchick, the administrative assistant at the board of elections who handles all campaign finance matters, said loans are monetary contributions that are expected to be paid back, while debts are items or services given to a campaign, the expense of which eventually is expected to be paid back.
Leopardi Knepp spent a majority of her campaign's money on various advertisement-related items. She gave $36,635 to 2 Ticks and The Dog Productions of Warren for cable ads, radio ads, a photo shoot, a WFMJ commercial, social media management and digital ads.
She also spent $2,920 to wrap two cars at Printer's Edge and $1,600 at the Youngstown Print Shop for postcards and an absentee ballot request form mailing. An additional $4,600 was spent for a fundraiser.
Timko brought a $27,470 carryover from her last report, received $14,650 in contributions and gave her campaign a $28,000 loan. Her campaign now owes $58,500 in outstanding loans.
Holly Hess of Vienna, who gave $500, was her largest contributor. Timko also received $250 from Joseph Macejko of Poland and from Dimitrios Makridis of Warren and earned $11,950 at a fundraising event.
Timko's campaign also previously accepted loans, making the campaign now owe $58,500 in outstanding loans.
A total $60,170 was spent this cycle. The largest purchase was $14,100 to WFMJ for TV advertisements. Other large purchases include $8,490 to Sawicki and Sons of Detroit for yard signs, $5,880 to the Youngstown Letter Shop for mailers, $4,925 for a fundraising event at the Robins Theatre and $3,850 to Skully Media Company of Youngstown for commercial production. This leaves her campaign with $9,950 for the last week of the campaign.
MAYORS
In Warren, Councilman at-Large Ken MacPherson is challenging Mayor Doug Franklin for the position. MacPherson's filing showed that he raised no funds, but also states that he spent no funds. He said all of the purchases for his campaign were in-kind contributions he made himself, so he did not have to report.
According to Ohio Revised Code, all candidates on the upcoming ballot must file a "preprimary report if the candidate or the candidate's campaign committee received $1,000 or more in contributions or made $1,000 or more in expenditures."
There are two types of contributions: monetary contributions, which is money given to the campaign that can be used for any campaign expense, and in-kind contributions, which are items given to campaigns, such as yard signs or food that already have already been paid for.
Hulvalchick said a candidate may choose to only make in-kind contributions to themselves because it is simple as the candidate does not have to open a campaign financial account.
Franklin's campaign only turned in the cover letter for his report as of Monday evening. The deadline was Thursday at 4 p.m. Franklin said his report is delayed because his campaign needs to get all of the addresses from contributors. He said some listed PO boxes, but he must report their actual addresses.
The cover letter states that Franklin brought $20,195 from the last reporting cycle, and raised $20,500 this cycle. Of the $40,641 he had to spend, he spent just $5,330, leaving him with $35,310 heading into the final week of the election.
In Girard, city Treasurer Mark Zuppo is challenging Mayor James Melfi, but Zuppo's funds heading into the final week of the race do not rival Melfi's. Zuppo reported no monetary contributions but did report almost $5,000 in in-kind contributions from himself.
Half of these contributions were yard signs, totaling $2,581.
Zuppo also contributed more than $900 worth of T-shirts, $665 worth of spray pen hand sanitizers, $520 worth of website design and security, and $300 worth of brochures. Because he brought in no money, Zuppo has no funds heading into the final week of the campaign.
Melfi has $10,275 available to spend in the final week. He brought $11,890 from the last finance cycle and raised $5,100, then spent $6,715 of that.
Twenty people have donated at least $100 to Melfi's campaign, including five people who each gave $500. These people are John Masternick of Girard, who is the founder and an attorney for Windsor House; Mark Hudson of Perry; David Kearns of Warren; Wen H. Tseny of Canfield, who is a managing partner at Thomas Fok & Associates; and Robert Berk of Warren, who is the president of Berk Enterprises and the chairman of Pinball Expo in Warren.
Melfi's campaign spent $6,715, of which, $6,584 went to Vantel Media Group of Youngstown for advertisements.
In Newton Falls, businessman Dave Hanson is challenging Mayor Ken Kline. Neither filed campaign finance reports with the board of elections, but state law only requires candidates to file a preprimary campaign finance report if they spent or received over $1,000. All candidates must file a post-primary campaign finance report with the board of election by June 9, regardless of activity.
CITY COUNCIL
Jimmy Julian and Doug Sollitto are the candidates of the five running for Niles council at-Large who filed campaign finance reports. Julian and Michael Lastic are incumbent at-Large councilmen. Sollitto is the councilman for the 1st Ward. Linda Marchese, councilwoman for the 3rd Ward, and Lori Hudzik also are running for the three available seats.
Julian brought in and spent the most money on his campaign. He raised $4,595 in monetary contributions, and received $455 in in-kind contributions. Of the monetary contributions, Steve Papalas was the largest individual contributor, giving $650 to Julian's campaign. Papalas is the third at-Large councilman, but is not seeking re-election.
Other top contributors were Barbara and Kenneth Werden of Niles, who gave $300 to Julian's campaign, and county Engineer Randy Smith, who gave $100. Julian also received $3,175 from tickets he sold to a fundraiser. The largest in-kind contribution was from Niles Safety Director George Kanicledes, who gave beer and wine valued at $255.
Julian spent $2,690, of which $1,890 went to Ciminero's Banquet Centre for catering for his fundraiser. He also spent $350 on yard signs and $450 on mailing fliers. He has just more than $1,900 heading into the final week of the campaign.
Sollitto brought in $2,450 in monetary contributions and $1,190 in in-kind contributions.
Of the monetary contributions, $1,000 came from John Cafaro, who is the executive vice president for the Cafaro Company, which owns the Eastwood Mall complex in Niles. Other top contributors include Becky DeChristofaro, who gave $300 and former county Engineer David DeChristofaro, who gave $250.
Most of the in-kind contributions were for signs valued at $800 given by Sollitto. Randy Reniger of Niles also gave homemade wine valued at $325.
Sollitto's campaign spent $1,265, all on mailers from the Youngstown Letter Shop, leaving him with $1,185 on hand.
Michael J. O'Brien, who is running uncontested for one of the three spots for Warren council at-Large, and Honeya Price, who is running uncontested for Warren's 6th Ward, filed campaign finance reports. O'Brien brought $32,660 from his previous races for county commissioner and state representative. He brought in no additional money, and the $1,000 contribution to Franklin's campaign is his only expenditure listed.
Price has raised $5,625. Genevieve Germaniuk gave $1,500, Paige & Byrnes Insurance Owner John Taylor gave $600 and Paige & Byrnes Insurance President Shelly Taylor gave $600. Price also loaned $1,075 to her own campaign and earned $1,255 in contributions from a fundraising event.
She spent $2,900. The largest purchase was $1,222 for T-shirts from Artistics Silk Screening of Warren. Price also spent $1,615 for various expenses for a fundraising event.