Candidates report on election finances
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008
Some notable campaign debts are being reported from the May 20 elections.
They include the campaign of the judge who defeated Judge Wendell Griffen for a seat on the state Court of Appeals and the campaign of Vickie Critcher of Batesville, wife of the state Senate’s top official.
Critcher reported a debt of $ 18, 644. 84 as of May 30. She listed contributions of $ 74, 452. 48 and expenses of $ 74, 333. 65.
Her report said she and her husband, Jack, who is the Senate’s president pro tempore, loaned $ 18, 644. 84 to her campaign on May 21, the day after her loss to James McLean of Batesville in the Democratic primary. The debt is their loan to her campaign in House District 72.
“I hope we can recover [the debt ],” said Jack Critcher, who owns an insurance agency. “It is a lot of money.” Some people have indicated they’d put together a fundraiser to retire as much of the debt as possible, but it hasn’t been scheduled yet, he said.
McLean, a funeral home director who serves on the Independence County Quorum Court, reported contributions of $ 23, 855. 87, expenses of $ 22, 736. 49, and a balance of $ 1, 119. 38 on May 20.
P ulaski County Circuit Judge Rita Gruber, who defeated Griffen, reported a debt of $ 12, 605 as of June 30. She listed contributions at $ 115, 328. 50 and expenses at $ 127, 933. 50.
The debt is for political services from Camco Plus Inc. of Sherwood, Gruber’s report said.
Linda Napper of Camco is the campaign’s treasurer. She said the debt is owed to the company for campaign expenses such as television and newspaper ads and direct mailings.
“Right now, we are $ 10, 000 short,” Napper said Thursday, adding that some checks for donations had yet to be picked up. She said she could raise funds for Gruber only through July 4 under state restrictions on judges’ campaigns.
Under the Arkansas Code of Judicial Conduct, a judicial candidate’s committee may solicit contributions and public support for the candidate’s campaign no earlier than 180 days before an election and no later than 45 days after the last contested election in which the candidate participates during the election year.
The code provides that a judicial candidate “shall not personally solicit or accept campaign contributions,” but the candidate may establish committees “of responsible persons to conduct campaigns for the candidate.” Napper said it was “very, very difficult” to raise money for judicial races for the May 20 election because there were so many races on the ballot.
Griffen reported contributions and expenses at $ 90, 358. 62 each with no debt through June 30.
A review of campaign finance reports at the secretary of state’s office showed other judicial candidates with campaign debts include: Circuit judge candidate Ann Beane Hudson of Forrest City with a debt of $ 91, 830. 88 through June 30. She reported it includes $ 73, 219. 89 “personally borrowed from Forrest City Bank & First National Bank Eastern Arkansas” and $ 18, 610. 99 from the John Colmore Beane trust.
Hudson said she hoped to retire her debt.
She referred questions about her report to her campaign treasurer, Rita Reed Harris of Forrest City, who didn’t return calls seeking comment. Her report didn’t list total contributions and total expenses.
Hudson defeated Preston Hicky of Forrest City in the race for 1 st Judicial District, Division 5.
Hicky reported a debt of $ 74, 000 in the form of personal loans to his campaign. He reported contributions of $ 112, 450 and expenses of $ 112, 376. 04 with a balance of $ 73. 96 through May 31.
Circuit judge candidate Rhonda K. Wood of Conway with a debt of $ 49, 788 in the form of a personal loan to her campaign. She reported contributions and expenses of $ 63, 320 each through May 31. She defeated David Hogue of Conway and Lynn Frank Plemmons of Conway in the race for 20 th Judicial District, Division 5.
Circuit judge candidate Melinda Gilbert of Little Rock with a debt of $ 42, 829. 38 in the form of personal loans to her campaign as of May 20.
She reported contributions of $ 88, 396. 47, total expenses of $ 95, 423. 94 and a cash balance of $ 34, 348. 66.
Asked to explain those figures, campaign treasurer Sam Hilburn said accountants fill out the reports and he signs them. “I don’t know how to fill out these reports,” he said.
The campaign has started raising money for the Nov. 4 runoff race and to pay back Gilbert’s debt.
These judicial races “are expensive,” Hilburn said.
Gilbert is vying with Cathi Compton of Little Rock in the Nov. 4 runoff election in 6 th Judicial District, Division 11.
The Compton campaign’s last report on file in the secretary of state’s office doesn’t show total contributions or total expenses through May 31, though state law requires that to be reported.
“I just misread it, I guess,” said Joe Spencer, who prepared the report for the campaign.
Spencer said Compton’s total contributions are $ 133, 818. 35 and total expenses are $ 129, 026. 34, leaving a cash balance of $ 4, 792. 01. Circuit judge candidate Sara Hartness of Monticello with a debt of $ 38, 050. 63 in the form of a personal loan she made to her campaign. She reported contributions of $ 52, 826 and expenses of $ 52, 826 through June 30. She lost to Kenny Johnson of Monticello in the 10 th Judicial District, Division 2. Circuit judge candidate Todd Murray of Helena-West Helena with a debt of $ 33, 667. 79 in the form of personal loans he made to his campaign. He reported contributions of $ 57. 937. 48 and expenses of $ 57, 937. 48 through June 30.
He lost to Richard Proctor of Wynne in the 1 st Judicial District, Division 2.
Court of Appeals candidate Eugene Hunt of Pine Bluff with a debt of $ 30, 102. 44 in the form of a $ 25, 000 loan from Simmons First National Bank of Pine Bluff, a $ 4, 000 loan from the Hunt law firm of Pine Bluff, and $ 1, 102. 44 in unreimbursed expenses for Hunt. He reported contributions of $ 54, 387, expenses of $ 55, 489. 44 and a debt of $ 1, 102. 44 through June 25.
He lost to Waymond Brown of Pine Bluff in District 7 for the appeals court. Circuit judge candidate Robert Herzfeld of Benton reported a cash balance of $ 35, 636. 16 as of May 20, but said the balance has “a net worth” of $ 6, 807. 64 “when debt in the form of personal loans from [the ] candidate of $ 42, 443. 85 is calculated in.
“ However, the campaign is in a run-off [on Nov. 4 ] so the candidate has elected not to repay the debt to himself at this time,” Herzfeld’s report said. He reported contributions of $ 72, 129. 85 and expenses of $ 36, 493. 64.
In the Nov. 4 runoff, Herzfeld is competing with Paul White of Benton in the 22 nd Judicial District, Division 4.
In the fiscal year that started Tuesday, circuit judges will be paid a salary of $ 131, 206 each.
Court of appeals judges will make a salary of $ 135, 515 each with the chief judge paid $ 137, 669.
State representatives and senators will be paid a salary of $ 15, 362 with the Senate president pro tempore and House speaker paid $ 17, 203.
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