A Valparaiso city councilman who is unopposed on the primary ballot as the Republican candidate for mayor has raised the most campaign funds so far, according to campaign finance reports that were due April 22.
Reports were due to the Porter County Clerk’s Office and cover donations received from Jan. 1 through April 12, as well as expenditures.
The mayor’s seat in Valparaiso is open after Mayor Jon Costas, a Republican, chose not to run again.
Republican Matt Murphy, a Valparaiso councilman who is running for mayor, had $70,554.60 at the start of the reporting period and concluded it with $65,617.56, raising $94,084.60 before expenses. The majority of his donors were individuals and his campaign’s only debt, for $300, was for money he loaned the campaign.
Two Democrats, Bill Durnell and Deb Porter, who is on the city council, are vying for a spot on the November ballot against Murphy.
Durnell started the reporting period with a zero balance and ended it with $5,287.97 and no debt, and raised $10,087.90 before expenses. His donations came from individuals.
Porter had $3,956.51 at the start of the reporting period and concluded it with $4,516.87 and no debt, and raised a total of $4,836.51, including funds from last year, before paying expenses. She listed only a handful of donors on her report.
In Portage, former Mayor James Snyder was removed from office in mid-February after being convicted on federal charges of bribery and obstructing the IRS. Republican John Cannon, a city councilman who was selected by caucus to fulfill the rest of Snyder’s term this year, is unopposed on the primary ballot.
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Cannon had $89.52 on hand at the start of the reporting period and concluded it with $1,986.83, raising $3,976.65 before expenses. The bulk of his donations came from individuals, and his campaign had $2,230.70 in debt, which included a personal loan to his campaign.
Four Democrats are vying for a spot on the November ballot to run as Portage’s next mayor against Cannon.
City Councilwoman Sue Lynch, D-At large, started off with $10,120.21 and ended the period with $22,101.03, raising a total of $41,895.31 before expenses, including funds in the account from last year. Donations came from individuals, local businesses and some unions. Her campaign has a debt of $1,500 from a loan she made to it.
Andy Maletta, the city’s economic development director, started off with no money in his fund and concluded the period with $17,346.63, raising $32,307.49 before expenses. His campaign didn’t have any debt, and his donations came in from individuals, businesses, and unions.
Portage Clerk-Treasurer Christopher Stidham, another mayoral candidate, started the period with $7,512.78 and ended it with $6,683.48, raising $16,437.78 before expenses. His donors include developers, a construction firm and a consulting firm, as well as a union. His only outstanding debt, $1,607.73, was for money he loaned to his campaign.
Another Democrat mayoral hopeful, Portage businessman Leo Hatch Jr., started the period with no money in his fund and concluded it with $3,122.90 after expenses. He raised $5,475.00 and didn’t have any campaign debt. His campaign is mostly self-funded, with a handful of individual donations.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.