Campaign fundraising by Springfield board candidates tops $205,000
Springfield school board member Maryam Mohammadkhani has reported more cash and in-kind donations to her campaign than any other candidate, incumbent or not.
Reports filed Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission show the seven candidates have generated $205,350 for their campaigns, mostly in monetary donations. More than half the amount has been raised since mid-January.
Mohammadkhani, a retired pathologist and one of three incumbents running for a second term, reported $71,759, more than a third of the Feb. 22 total for all seven of the candidates.
No one else is close but Landon McCarter, a business owner and entrepreneur, who reported $40,840. He is running for the second consecutive year.
The third highest fundraiser was incumbent Scott Crise, manager of gas plant operations for Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., who reported $33,875. He is board vice president.
Danielle Kincaid, an attorney and partner with the Elder Law Group, raised $17,117. She is the board president.
She was followed closely by Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, an associate professor of sociology at Missouri State University, who raised $15,882. He and Susan Provance, a retired Springfield teacher and coach who raised $13,572, are running for the first time.
Chad Rollins, facility manager and pharmacy director at HealthDirect Pharmacy Services, is also running for the second consecutive year. He reported $12,305.
On April 2, voters will select three board members. They will join a board that sets policy, approves the budget and hires and evaluates the superintendent.
Two sets of donations are worth mentioning.
Loren Cook, who leads one of Springfield's largest manufacturing companies, donated $15,000 — or $5,000 each — to Mohammadkhani, McCarter and Rollins.
Founded in 1941, the company designs and manufactures fans, blowers, gravity vents and laboratory exhaust systems. It is also where former President Donald Trump spoke when he visited Springfield in 2017.
The largest in-kind donor was for billboards in support of Mohammadkhani, McCarter and Rollins. They have been up on major Springfield thoroughfares since November.
Rollins reported $5,000 worth of in-kind support from Andrew Jared for the signage. In the past month, reports by Mohammadkhani and McCarter have each reported $7,500 in in-kind support from Jared Outdoor LLC.
Scott Crise
Crise has raised an additional $25,350, pushing his total for this election to $33,875.
His largest donations included: $5,000 each from Mike White and Nancy White; and $1,500 from Jack Stack.
Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Technical Community College, gave $200 while Clif Smart, president of Missouri State University, and his wife Gail, gave $250.
Terri McQuery, co-chair of the United Springfield PAC, gave $100.
There were contributions from current or former elected officials, and their spouses:
h $500 − Tom and Kim Prater
h $250 − Alina and Darren Lehnert, Denise and Gail Fredrick, Jim O'Neal, Abe McGull, Richard and Teresa Ollis
h $200 − Greg and Betsy Burris
h $100 − Jill Patterson, Gerry Lee
Danielle Kincaid
Kincaid has raised an additional $4,673, pushing her total for this election to $17,117.
Her largest donations include $1,562 from Cameron Rose; $1,020 from Carol Taylor, former president of Evangel University and the campaign treasurer; and $1,000 from Logan and David Aguirre.
Ray Smith, former president of the Springfield National Education Association, donated $52.
There were contributions from current or former elected officials, and their spouses:
h $520 − Tom Prater
h $260 − Alina and Darren Lehnert
h $150 − Jill Patterson
h $104 − Gerry Lee
Landon McCarter
McCarter has raised an additional $36,840, including $7,500 in in-kind donations, pushing his total to $49,840.
The in-kind donation was $7,500 from Jared Outdoor.
His largest donations included $5,000 from Loren Cook; $3,000 from Tom Fowler; $2,000 from Kent Greve; $1,500 from Daniel Scott; $1,250 each from Todd Wilson, Robert Wilson, Travis Comfort; $1,000 each from Erik Hansen, Robert Byrne, James Whitley, Greg Stancer.
There were contributions from current or former elected officials, and their spouses: h $200 − Alex Riley
He received $150 from Mary Byrne, co-founder of Missouri Coalition Against Common Core.
Maryam Mohammadkhani
Mohammadkhani has raised an additional $37,809, including $9,103 in in-kind donations, pushing her total for this election to $71,759.
The in-kind donations included $7,500 from Jared Outdoor, the candidate and her spouse, Raffaele Pennella.
Her largest donations included $5,000 from Loren Cook, $2,500 from William Scharf; $2,500 from Travis Comfort; $1,500 each from Thomas Fowler, Linda Fowler, Amy Hiles; $1,000 each from Robert Shaw, William
Duncan, Teresa Davis, Ed O'Toole, Ryan MacDonald, Sedighe Mokarram, and Will Cox.
There were contributions from current or former elected officials, and their spouses:
h $1,000 − Craig Fishel
h $500 − Allen Icet
h $200 − Bridget Bidinger
Susan Provance
This is the first campaign finance report for Provance, who formed a campaign committee in early January. She has raised $13,572 including $1,687 in an in-kind donation from Mark Stratton, who is her campaign treasurer.
Her largest donations included $500 each from Patti Provance and Rah Law LLC, and $300 from Judy Wilson.
Provance received numerous donations from retired principals and district officials. Ray Smith, former president of Springfield National Education Association, donated $52.
There were contributions from current or former elected officials, and their spouses:
h $350 − Denise Fredrick
h $260 − Alina and Darren Lehnert
h $250 − Bruce and Pat Renner
h $208 − Jim O'Neal
h $100 − Jill Patterson
Pam Hedgpeth, executive director of the Greater Ozarks Cooperating School Districts, gave $150.
Chad Rollins
Rollins has raised an additional $8,980, including $2,500 in in-kind donations, pushing his total for this election to $12,305.
The in-kind donations for this period included $2,500 from Andrew Jared.
His largest monetary donations included $5,000 from Loren Cook II, $500 from Allen Icet, who is an elected official; and $480 from Emil Strotheide.
Kyler Sherman-Wilkins
Sherman-Wilkins has raised an additional $12,781, including $4,836 in in-kind donations, pushing his total for this election to $15,882.
The in-kind donations included $4,536 from Jocelyn Millana and $300 from Q Enoteca.
Sherman-Wilkins received $260 from Dany Lacio, equality organizer for PROMO Missouri; $104 from Aaron Schekorra, executive director of the GLO Center; and $100 from Kay Mills, an organizer with Missouri Jobs with Justice.
His largest monetary donations included $1,000 from Emily Hahn, $520 from Adam Bolyard, $500 each from Chloe Bolyard and Jack Mackey, $250 each from Herb Dankert and Charles Buchanan, and $200 each from Jennifer Joslin, Leslie Anderson, Beverly Keltner.
There was a contribution from a former elected official: $100 from Bob Stephens, who is also his campaign treasurer.