Candidates raise thousands of dollars in 2012 campaign

Published 12:35 am Wednesday, April 25, 2012

NATCHEZ — Three of the five mayoral candidates in next Tuesday’s election have raised more than $100,000 — though more than a third of that money belongs to just one candidate.

Click here for detailed list of campaign finance reports submitted Tuesday

Larry L. “Butch” Brown leads the fundraising with $75,880 in contributions.

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Brown’s contributions include a total of $40,500 from Natchez donors and $33,200 from out-of-town contributors.

Among those who donated are the Isle of Capri Casinos in Natchez, Biloxi, Lula, Vicksburg and St. Louis, for a total of $5,000.

Brown’s biggest in-town donor was D.A. New, who contributed $5,000.

He also received three out-of-town $5,000 donations, including one from Mike Worley of Baton Rouge, who owns property in Natchez.

Brown has spent $49,548.56, mostly on campaign signs and local TV and radio ads.

Middleton has raised and spent the second highest amounts, collecting $21,174 and spending $22,711.75.

Furlow has raised $19,623.95, including one $10,000 contribution from Diane T. Scruggs, the wife of famed Mississippi attorney Dickie Scruggs and sister-in-law to former Sen. Trent Lott.

Furlow has spent $17,735.64.

Phillip West and Bob Buie had not turned in the required report as of 5 p.m.

In the race for city clerk, Temple Hendricks has raised and spent $10,423.25.

Her biggest contributor, other than herself, is Vidalia Dr. John Fairbanks.

Her opponent, incumbent clerk Donnie Holloway, has raised $5,650 and spent $2,530.

His biggest local contributors were businessmen Joe Stedman and Jimmy Smith.

The six candidates for aldermen who turned in campaign finance reports have raised a combined $9,824 and spent $7,254.78.

Ward 2 Alderman candidate Billie Joe Frazier has raised the most among the aldermen candidates, at $3,374.19, all in non-itemized receipts.

Ward 1 candidate Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis has contributed $2,500 of her own money or her husband’s to her campaign.

Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard has raised $2,000, including $500 from New Orleans Hotel Consultants President Warren Reuther. Reuther’s company has a contract with the city to run the Natchez Convention Center.

Ward 1 Alderman candidate Kathy Traina, Ward 3 candidates Sarah Carter Smith and Gwen Ball and Ward 4 candidate Dianne Brown had not turned in reports by Tuesday’s deadline.