Donations from friends, family and Green Party members across the country has brought the campaign funding to Green Party candidate Kevin Bott in his race for Syracuse mayor.
Between Aug. 2, 2013, and Oct. 21, 2013, Bott raised $2,691, according to the campaign finance report on the website of the New York State Board of Elections.
He is not concerned about his campaign’s finances, said Bott. “I honestly don’t really care how much money we have,” he said.
Bott is running against Democratic incumbent Stephanie Miner and Conservative Party candidate Ian Hunter. The election is Nov. 5.
In his campaign, Bott said, he’s been focusing on solidifying his message and getting coverage in the news to spread the word about his campaign. Media attention, he said, is the only way he can really leave a lasting effect on voters.
He wants to prove that he can run a credible campaign without focusing on money, he said. “It should be about trying to engage people in conversations about things that are impacting their lives,” Bott said, “not begging people for money.”
The Green Party does not accept corporate contributions, so Bott’s campaign finances do not include any donations from big businesses. Instead, Bott’s mayoral campaign is being funded solely by donations from individual supporters.
Here’s a brief look at Bott’s fundraising efforts, according to campaign finance reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections:
- As of Oct. 28, Bott had raised $2,691.
- He’s raised that from 52 contributors.
- His donations range from $1 from David Pittman of Syracuse to $500 from Philip Brill of West Hempstead, N.Y.
- As of Oct. 28, Bott’s campaign had spent $1,937 on campaign supplies like yard signs, stakes, palm cards and a video camera.
- As of his report filed Oct. 25, Bott had $753 on hand for his campaign.
“My hope is that simply by telling the story of this campaign and getting the message out that people will, of their own volition, feel inspired to give a couple bucks if they can,” Bott said, “but that’s not the focus of what I’m doing.”
(Maddy Berner is a senior majoring in newspaper and online journalism and Spanish.)
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