JONES AND BAKER TOP CAMPAIGN CASH SPENDING

Baker and Jones

A look at campaign contributions and spending for last Fall's school board and Township Committee candidates finds that all but one campaign stayed below the $4,500 spending limit that allows no disclosure of itemized contributions and expenses.

Only the school board duo of Maureen Jones and Elizabeth Baker were required to itemize their campaign warchest, which rose to more than $9,000 for the team that eventually won election to the board, along with Donna Smith. All three will join the board at its first 2015 meeting tonight.

Jones and Baker filed documents that showed they raised $9,247.60 and spent the same amount. The documents, found HERE, indicate they spent most of their funds on signs, fliers and social media, with an $86.81 charitable donation to the CHS scholarship fund.

But because of state disclosure rules that require itemized donations only for contributions of more than $300, voters will never know who contributed to the pair or how much they gave. Their filing states that most of the contributions, $9110.30, came from contributions of $300 or less that do not have to be disclosed.

Smith filed a disclosure statement months ago indicating she would not raise more than $4,500 or receive individual contributions of $300 or more so no further filing is required from her. The fourth school board candidate, Godwin Molokwu, has not filed any campaign disclosure statements according to state records.

In the Township Committee race, won by Vic De Luca and India Larrier, both De Luca and Larrier filed statements early on declaring they would not surpass the $4,500/$300 thresholds. 

Likewise, TC challengers Kurt Kiley and Angel "Bob" Perez indicate they also stayed under the thresholds, although Kiley did file a disclosure tallying expenses for his campaign that were $3113.61, most of which came from his own self-donations and in-kind contributions. 

Jones/Baker filing statements can be found HERE.