For her campaign money supply, Republican Sandra Schepp is fueling her bid for the Onondaga County Clerk’s race with help from donations by local law firms and other Republican candidates.
As of Oct. 21, Schepp had raised $12,815 since May, according to New York State Board of Elections campaign finance reports. Of that, local Republican candidates running for office contributed 14.5 percent – or $1,800 – and law firms, or lawyers who donated individually, gave 7.6 percent or $974.
Schepp, a Manlius town councilor, faces Democrat Gary Morris, a Syracuse real estate businessman, for the Onondaga County Clerk position in the Nov. 6 election. The office is vacant for the first time since 1996 after the retirement of Ann Ciarpelli. The county clerk is responsible for handling the county’s business and property documents, including mortgages and deeds.
Schepp could not be reached for comment for this story. Here are some highlights of Schepp’s campaign finances, from the state elections board:
- Of her total $12,815 raised, 77 percent — or $9,891 — came from named individual donors.
- Contributions from her fellow Republicans include $1,000 from the campaign committee of state Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, and $75 from Brian May, county legislator from District One; $75 from Danny Liedka, mayor of East Syracuse; $200 from Judy Tassone, county legislator from District Four; $125 from Ed Theobald, Manlius town supervisor; and $50 from state Assemblyman Don Miller, R-Clay.
- $640 from Karen Green, who serves on the Manlius town council with Schepp, was her largest individual donor.
- Juno’s Glass in Auburn, N.Y., was her campaign’s fourth-largest contributor with $354 in in-kind, or non-cash, contributions. Schepp is the manager of Juno’s Glass.
- Schepp has spent $1,467 and has $19,400 cash on hand.
Of her 99 donations, 54 came in the month of May, tapering off in the summer months. But New York State finance records show Schepp’s fundraising picked up again in the first week of October. In that week, she raised $5,090.
One of Schepp’s donors, Allison Edsall, Manlius town clerk, cited Schepp’s experience in government as the reason she gave $125 to the campaign. She has worked with Schepp, she said, to negotiate town contracts and to create Hometown Heroes wall in Manlius’ town hall. The wall features photographs of active-duty service members with ties to the town, Edsall said.
“She’s a strong leader and she has a good business sense,” Edsall said. “She is smart and she has innovative ideas.”
(Debbie Truong is a junior majoring in newspaper and online journalism.)
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