Family, friends, law firms and labor unions are the major funders for Mayor Stephanie Miner’s re-election campaign.
Between Jan. 1, 2013, and Oct. 25, 2013, Miner had raised $472,328 in her re-election bid, according to financial disclosure reports to New York State Board of Elections. She had $344,538 at the start of primary season in mid-July, and drained nearly half that amount — $164,905 — fending off primary challenges from Democrats Pat Hogan and Alfonzo Davis.
As of Oct. 25, Miner still has $166,144 left in her bank — a sum far ahead of her opponents.
For the Nov. 5 election, Miner faces Green Party candidate Kevin Bott, who runs a political theater group called D.R.E.A.M Freedom Revival; and Ian Hunter, a Republican businessman running on the Conservative Party line. By Nov. 2, state campaign finance reports show Bott had raised less than $3,000 between Jan. 1 and Oct. 25. Hunter had not filed any campaign finance reports but told Democracywise that he had raised about $1,000.
Miner’s fundraising advantage doesn’t guarantee her reelection, said Kristi Andersen, a political scientist at Syracuse University. “Political science research has found that there is no clear, predictable relationship between money and electoral outcomes,” she said in an email interview.
Miner has additional advantages: high name recognition, incumbent status and voter enrollment. Of the city’s 71,014 voters, 38,813 registered voters — or 54 percent — are Democrats. 381 voters — or less than one percent — belong to the Green Party, while 655 voters — also less than one percent — belong to the Conservative party.
Miner’s campaign manager, Kyle Madden, declined comment for this story.
Here’s a look at Miner’s fundraising, from financial disclosure reports to the New York State Board of Elections:
- Of the $472,328 Miner had raised since Jan. 1, about 50 percent — or $234,535 — come from 642 named individual donors. The largest donation is from a non-Central New York resident, Michael Poulos of Houston, Texas, who donated $5,000. The second-highest donation was $3,200 from Kerin Mannion.
- About $3,733 came in nine contributions from members of her family and that of her husband, Jack Mannion. These include $383 from her mother, Diane Cooney Miner, and $250 from Miner’s sister, Mary.
- $55,023 came from 14 law firms. The largest contribution to Miner’s campaign came from Hiscock and Barclay, who donated $27,348. The second-largest contribution from a law firm was from Hancock and Estabrook for $9,800.
- Law firm Mannion Copani donated $4,000 to the campaign. Firm partner Terrence Mannion is the son of Miner’s husband, Jack Mannion, from a previous marriage.
- $29,924 came from 13 labor unions. Among the largest donors were Iron Workers 60, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and IOUE Local 158, a union of operating engineers. The largest donation came from health care workers’ SIEU Local 1199’s political action committee, who donated $7,987.
Since mid-July, Miner had spent $164,905. Her highest expenditures were television advertisements, with $176,950 to Screen Strategies Media and $43,220 to McKenna Pihlaja. Other expenditures include: $27,500 to Kiley and Co. for polls and $15,050 to Kyle Madden, Miner’s campaign manager.
Among Miner’s top individual contributions: $2,987 from developer John St. Denis, $2,500 from restaurant owner Betty Feng; $2,500 from Daniel McNeil, owner of risk management company McNeil and Company; $2,500 from Judith Mower, former co-owner of JC Mower Consultants and member of Say Yes to Education’s leadership council; $2,500 from Michael Santaro, president of Santaro Industries; and $2,500 from Michael Brower, principal of Mosaic Federal Affairs.
(Marwa Eltagouri is a senior with dual majors in magazine journalism and political science.)
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