Middletown City Council Campaign Finance Reports

MIDDLETOWN — So far, the city’s youngest candidate for Middletown City Council is also the leading fundraiser and spender in the 2009 ward races.

According to campaign finance reports that were due by 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, 2nd Ward candidate A.J. Smith has raised $4,597 and has spent $4,029 in his race against fellow candidate John Soppanish for the open council seat.

State law requires a campaign finance report to be filed with the Butler County Board of Elections if $1,000 was raised or spent prior to Thursday’s deadline.

Top contributors include Roger Steven Dillman, $500; Steven Hightower, $300; Michael Scorti, $200; Tyrone Thomas, $100; Adriane Scherrer, $350; Avalon Consulting Group, $240; Ruth Ann Tracy, $100; Dan Tracy, $100; Joe Wittman, $250; Change Butler County PAC, $333; Butler County Progressive PAC, $500; Todd Jermaine Martin, $100; Anthony Klimek, $100.

He also had three unnamed donors who contributed a total of $268.

Smith also used his Web site to solicit campaign donations from out of state, with the largest, $467, from an Indianapolis dental firm. Other online donations totalled nearly $113.

His largest in-kind donations was from the 2005 Group/Richard Isroff for $900 in office rental; ACF Mortgage Co. of Cincinnati for $336 for mailers; Haines Consulting of Canton for $1,000 for political consulting; Creative Designs for $700 in campaign literature design; and $480 to the 2005 Group/Richard Isroff.

Smith’s expenses include $480 to the 2005 Group/Richard Isroff for office utilities; $1,078 in advertising; $292 to Shelly’s Signs & Graphics of Fairfield for office window signage; $224 to Signrocket of Minnesota for advertising; $250 to Bob Goughenour for advertising design; and $361 to Digital Visuals for signs.

Incumbent 1st Ward Councilman Jim Armbruster was the next highest on the campaign money list. Armbruster is seeking re-election to his second term on council.

Armbruster reported receiving $3,920 in contributions and spending only $852.

Top contributors to Armbruster’s campaign were Kenneth Cohen, $500; T.A. Dobrozsi, $100; Harry A. Finkelman Inc., $250; Rachel Lewitt, $250; Thomas Hazelbaker, $100; Alan McCoy, $500; Robinson Realtors, $100; John Sawyer, $100; Michael Scorti, $200; Richard Slagle, $100; Robert Breitenbach, $100; David Horn of Cincinnati, $250; Heath Valentine, $100; James Wainscott, $500; and a loan from Armbruster for $100.

His largest expense is ABS Publishing for $810 for printed letters, postage, and envelopes.

Incumbent 3rd Ward Councilman Tony Marconi, also seeking a second term on council, reported raising $3,525 in contributions and spending $2,506 in his campaign.

Marconi also reported a $2,209 loaned to his committee for signs.

Many of Marconi’s top contributors mirrored Armbruster’s top contributors. Among those were Michael Scorti, $200; John Sawyer, $100; Richard Slagle, $100; Alan McCoy, an AK Steel Corp. vice president, $500; Thomas Hazelbaker, $100; T.A. Dobrozsi, $100; Kenneth Cohen, $500; James Wainscott, AK Steel Corp.’s president, chairman and CEO, $500; David Horn of Cincinnati, $250; and James Akers, CEO of Akers Packaging Services, $750.

In addition to the signs, Marconi’s largest expense was to Strategic Advantage Consulting of Hamilton for $2,500.

Daniel Picard, a 4th Ward candidate, reported raising $2,645 and spending $1,289 on his campaign.

His largest contributor was Douglas W. McNeill, president of Atrium Medical Center, who gave $1,200. Other top contributors were Alan McCoy, $500; Andrew Singer, $150; Stephen O’Neil, $100; Robinson Inc. Realtors, $100; and Picard himself, $300.

Picard’s largest expense was $1,137 to ABS Publishing for signs, envelopes, labels and accessories.

Joshua Laubach, who is challenging Marconi for the 3rd Ward seat, reported raising $1,410 and spending $1,275 on his campaign.

Laubach, who was 22 minutes late filing his report Thursday with the elections board, also reported in-kind contributions of $95 and a $847 loan from his committee.

His top contributors included Chris Langhorne, $100; Keith and Debbie Clements, $100; Lois Laubach, $100; Kevin Puckett, $100; Larry Wood, $200; and Lois Wood, $200.

Laubach’s largest expense was for signs to Digital Visuals for at total of $740.

Candidates Paul Nagy, Gary Barge and John Soppanish did not file campaign finance reports.