Family and friends are filling Mike Plochocki’s campaign piggy bank as he seeks the open seat for Onondaga County Legislature District 6.
His brother and campaign manager, James Plochocki, donated the second largest amount among named donors— $600 — to the campaign, according to disclosure reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections. And his mother, Julie Plochocki, came in fourth with a donation of $325. She has also lent $625 to her son’s campaign.
“Campaigns are very expensive to run and they need everything they can get, especially when they are starting out,” said Julie Plochocki.
Mike Plochocki, 39, a former mayor of Marcellus, is the Republican candidate in the District 6 race. He faces Democrat Toby Shelley, a deputy in the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department. District 6 is in the southwestern part of Onondaga County, including Marcellus, Skaneateles, Spafford, Otisco and a small southern portion of Camillus. Election day is Nov. 8.
As of Oct. 31, Plochocki raised $8,773 during 2011, according to campaign finance reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections. In the same period Shelley raised a total of $12,185.
Plochocki’s dependence on donations from those he knows can be attributed to lack of name recognition, said Kristi Andersen, a Syracuse University political scientist. “It’s just easier to go to friends and family and they’ll support you,” she said. “And as you’re there and build up your reputation you can reach out to other people.”
As of mid-October, here’s an overview of Plochocki’s fundraising, from reports filed with the state elections board:
- Of his total, 19 percent — or $1,665 — came from residents in Marcellus, the town Plochocki grew up in and where he served as mayor from 2006 to 2011.
- 29 percent — or $2,508—came from donors in the city of Syracuse. Of that, $1,725 came from local Republican politicians.
- 27 percent — or $2,350 — came from residents of Skaneateles. As a child, Plochocki said, he went to Skaneateles Lake often.
- Plochocki’s largest named donor is Michael Falcone, who contributed $1,000. Plochocki and Falcone attend the same church, St. Mary of the Lake in Skaneateles. Falcone founded The Pioneer Group, a real estate company in northern New York, and is a trustee of Syracuse University.
- Other top donors include $1,000 each from Friends of Joanie Mahoney committee and MAC PAC, a political action committee created by Common Council Ryan McMahon, R-Syracuse. McMahon is the Republican candidate for the county legislature’s District 15 seat.
This race is Plochocki’s first time fundraising for a county legislature campaign. When he ran for the District 6 seat in 2005, he paid his for his own campaign, he said, because he was running as a third- party candidate on the Abraham Lincoln line. He didn’t believe he would get donations under that party, Plochocki said.
Candidates who pay for their own campaigns risk difficulty in getting out the word out about their candidacy, said SU political scientist, Kristi Andersen. “Fundraising from other people is a way of getting people bought, literally, into your campaign,” she said.
Mike Plochocki has spent the majority of money he’s raised to gather more funds, said James Plochocki, his campaign manager.
As of mid-October, state campaign finance records show Plochocki had spent a total of $2,452. Of that, 85 percent — or $1,950 — went to fundraising events and supplies. Plochocki has $6,996 left in his campaign cash box to spend.
He plans to continue to fundraise until Election Day, said Mike Plochocki. He explains his strategy: “I explain to people first where I stand on things,” said Plochocki, “and then I say to them, if you support this, or if you support me, or these issues, then donate to me. But don’t donate to me to get me to change to your issue.”
(Callan Gray is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism.) This story was updated Nov. 3 with the most recent campaign disclosure reports.
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