Harris lists no campaign $$ so far in 2017
For months now, one of the most intriguing secrets in Pittsburgh politics has been the finances underpinning city Councilwoman Darlene Harris’ mayoral campaign.
Mrs. Harris has flouted a city ordinance that requires campaigns to make monthly disclosures of contributions and expenditures in the five months prior to an election.
But it can now be told what Mrs. Harris has been hiding: Nothing.
She apparently raised zero dollars for her campaign during the past four months.
And with the exception of a single $10,000 “filing fee” to seek the Democratic Party’s endorsement, she has barely spent much more than that.
The disclosures come courtesy of a campaign finance filing that Mrs. Harris submitted earlier this week to Allegheny County’s elections department,
under a state requirement separate from the city ordinance.
While Mrs. Harris has long questioned the legality of the city’s ordinance, she had pledged to file the state-required forms. She did so with a two-page filing showing that she began the year with $25,903. In the four months covered by the report since then, she raised $0 and spent $ 10,771, leaving her with $15,132 to begin the final days leading to the May 16 primary.
Almost all of the campaign’s payments were to the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and to wards in the city, which can charge candidates to speak to committee members in hopes of garnering their endorsement. She also spent some money on stamps.
By contrast, Mayor Bill Peduto’s state-required reports document contributions of $162,286 and spending of $603,563 in the first four months of the year. He started the year with more than $830,000, leaving him with $395,414 two weeks before the primary.
Reports for the third Democratic candidate in the May 16 primary, the Rev. John Welch, appear to have been filed, but a complete copy was unavailable online at the county elections department Friday.
Mrs. Harris did not respond immediately to a request for comment, but attorney and former state party chairman Jim Burn, who has spoken for Mrs. Harris on campaign finance issues, said in a statement: “The Harris for Mayor campaign is obviously a grassroots campaign, reaching out to the residents of Pittsburgh on issues of common sense and with a pragmatic approach similar to the successful [Democratic presidential candidate Bernie] Sanders model from last year. ”
“Although the finance variable is obviously different from Sanders,” the statement continues, “the grassroots approach against an insider who has sold out to the establishment he railed against as a candidate is the same. We believe Mayor Peduto’s hypocrisy in this regard will lead to his inevitable downfall in the upcoming primary.”
Mr. Peduto’s campaign spokesman, Matt Merriman-Preston, said, “With this financial report, we’ve now received about 2,000 contributions since 2014, about half of which were $100 or below. We’ve had hundreds of volunteers, which has allowed us to reach out to voters in their homes over 21,000 times. That’s a testament to the support the mayor has received across the city, and we’re excited to go into the final days of this election.”