For his campaign money to become a Family Court judge, Republican county legislator Pat Kilmartin is drawing largely on the donations of individual named donors.
That’s typical, said Kristi Andersen, a Syracuse University political scientist. “The more people you know, the more people you’ve worked with, the more people who have had good experiences with you, as a county legislator, in this case, or as a business person,” said Andersen. “Whatever you’ve done before, the more people you can go to to raise money.”
As of Oct. 26, Kilmartin had raised $58,377, according to campaign finance reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections.
Kilmartin is running against Democrat Julie Cecile for the ten-year elected position of Family Court judge of Onondaga County. Kilmartin, R-Syracuse, has represented the Onondaga County Legislature District 11 for the past five years. His district includes the town of Onondaga, portions of Syracuse and the town of Camillus. Cecile is the executive director of the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center.
The election is Nov. 6.
Here are some highlights of Kilmartin’s campaign fundraising, from the reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections:
- Of his $58,377 total, 52 percent – or $30,570 came from named individual donors.
- His three largest donations from named individuals are $1,000 from Ben Kilmartin, a relative of Patrick Kilmartin’s; $1,000 from William J. Gilbert Jr., a local lawyer; and $1,000 from William Yeomans a local lawyer.
- 30 percent – or $17,420 – of the donations came from named individuals giving $250 or less.
- 12 percent– or $7,182 – came from state and local Republican Party fundraising committees. Those include $1,000 from the Republican Legislators Campaign Committee; $500 from the town of Onondaga Republican Committee; $250 from DeWitt Republican Committee; and $500 from the fundraising committee of County Executive Joanie Mahoney.
- Included in that 12 percent was $4,100 that came from the fundraising committees of state Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse; and William Fitzpatrick, the county district attorney. Fitzpatrick gave $3,100 to Kilmartin and $600 to the Democratic candidate Julie Cecile.
- Also included in that 12 percent was $700 from his fellow Republican County legislators. They include $500 from Kevin Holmquist, R-Manlius; and $100 each from David Knapp, R-Lafayette, and Bill Meyer, R-Cicero.
- 11percent – or $6,575 came from local law firms or law partnerships.
- His three largest donations from these law firms or partnerships included $1,500 from Hancock Estabrook; $1,000 from McDermott and Britt; and $1,000 from Smith, Sovik, Kendrick and Sugnet.
- Seven percent – or $4,450 – came from local corporations and businesses. Among the largest are $1,000 from O’Brien and Gere Engineers; $500 from Empire Archives and $500 from Richard McCarron Real Estate.
Some of his donors say Kilmartin would make a good Family Court judge because of his family commitment and his legislative experience.
One of his supporters among local businesses is Richard McCarron of McCarron Real Estate. He says Kilmartin’s track record in the county legislature is the reason behind his financial support. “I think the county can expect an excellent representative on the bench, who will obviously keep the best interest of the family’s and lives when you’re making these important decisions, ” said McCarron.
Donor Jim Walters said Kilmartin’s beliefs and values are why he supports him. “Is he a good person in his life, business career and someone that’s honorable?,” said Walters. “That’s how I pick, because it affects the kids, and that’s why I support him.”
As of Oct. 15, Kilmartin had spent $48,603. His largest expense so far was for television ads, which totaled $40,000.
(Allison Nachman is a graduate student of broadcast and digital journalism.)
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