Archived Story
Candidates raise thousands of dollars in 2012 campaign
Published 12:35am Wednesday, April 25, 2012NATCHEZ — 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.
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.
