Which Lexington councilmember has the most campaign cash on hand?
by Paul Oliva, The Lexington Times
LEXINGTON, Ky.–Tuesday marked a deadline for annual campaign finance reports in Kentucky, with five Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council candidates having submitted disclosures.
A total of 12 council seats, all with two-year terms, will be up for grabs next year with primary elections that will occur in May 2024. The three At-Large councilmembers, who serve four-year terms (Dan Wu, James Brown, and Chuck Ellinger) will not be up for re-election until 2026.
Five candidates filed reports indicating they had raised or spent money on campaigning within the past year. Four are current councilmembers.
Dave Sevigny (District 10 Incumbent)
Total receipts: $20,917.74
Total expenditures: $0
Cash on hand: $20,917.74
Political Party on report? No
On November 30, just days before the filing deadline, Sevigny made a significant commitment to his re-election campaign in the form of a $20,000 candidate loan. The timing of the loan could indicate that Sevigny wanted to signal that he is “all-in” on re-election to any challengers who may be mulling a run. Reached by phone, Sevigny said he was not aware of any opponents. “I was doing my end-of-year financial planning and had the cash available,” he explained. “I just want to be ready.”
Hannah LeGris (District 3 Incumbent)
Total receipts: $11,982.03
Total expenditures: $42.45
Cash on hand: $11,939.58
Political Party on report? No
Hannah LeGris rolled over almost $12K from her 2022 campaign. She spent a total of $42.25 on fees related to her campaign website.
Liz Sheehan (District 5 Incumbent)
Total Receipts: $8,602.22
Total Expenditures: $334.72
Cash on hand: $8,267.50
Political Party on report? $50.00 to the Kentucky Democratic Party as a fee for a “Voter Registration Database”
Liz Sheehan rolled over $8,593.01 from 2022 and reported earning $9.21 in interest on her campaign warchest at Forcht Bank. She spent $334.72, mostly on administrative items like a PO Box and website fees. Notably, she did pay $50 to the Kentucky Democratic Party in January for use of their voter registration database.
Whitney Baxter (District 9 Incumbent)
Total Receipts: $6,082.99
Total Expenditures: $246.26
Cash on hand: $5,836.73
Political Party on report? No
Whitney Baxter rolled over $6,089.99 from 2022 and spent $246.26, mostly on website fees.
Brack Marquette (District 4 Challenger)
Total Receipts: $1,500.00
Total Expenditures: $0.00
Cash on hand: $1,500.00
Political Party on report? No
Brack Marquette, who ran against Brenda Monarrez in District 4 in 2022, is running again in 2024. He gave his campaign $1,500 and had no expenditures.
The following incumbent councilmembers filed statements of spending intent with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance for the May primary, but did not report raising or spending any campaign-related funds through December 1 of this year.
- Shayla Lynch (District 2)
- Brenda Monarrez (District 4)
- Denise Gray (District 6)
- Jennifer Reynolds (District 11)
A statement of spending intent signifies to state regulators that a candidate plans to spend money for campaign purposes in a given election. There is still time left for new candidates to file before the deadline in early January.
Top photo: Councilmember Dave Sevigny has the most cash on hand on any council candidate thus far, according to campaign finance disclosures. (LexTV)
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