Candidates ready their coffers for elections

Angelique Flores, Tariq Malik and Mary Beth P. Adomaitis

With about 10 months of fund-raising under their belts, candidates for

Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley city councils and school boards are

building up their coffers.

By Oct. 5, all candidates were required to file campaign disclosure

statements for the period of Jan. 1 through Sept. 30. But for candidates

running in the local school board races, all but three disclosure

statements were for the period of July 1 to Sept. 30. Campaign statements

for Marjorie O’Neill, Barbara Boskovich and Jim Peters covered the period

from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters printed the wrong deadline date

in the Candidates Handbook for School Districts and Special Districts,

General Election. School board candidates were instructed to file by

Monday, although the deadline was supposed to be Oct. 5. The elections

will be next month.

Here is a rundown on the big moneymakers.

HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL

All 20 candidates vying for the three available City Council seats

filed campaign finance information.

Candidate James A. Young, a 30-year-old attorney, raised the most

money, $40,306, contributing $35,901 himself.

It was important, Young said, to make a personal commitment to the

election, instead of asking supporters to foot most of the bill.

Rounding out the top three fund-raising candidates are high school

teacher Diane Lenning, with $32,197, and biology professor Connie

Boardman, with $29,977. Lenning and her husband, Gerald, were the sole

sources of her campaign money, lending the entire amount for the

election.

Boardman carried over about $9,600 from here previous bid for City

Council in 1998 and collected contributions from residents, including

Huntington Beach Councilman Dave Sullivan, who is not running for

reelection this year.

Incumbent Pam Julien raised $26,768 for her reelection campaign, with

almost half stemming from her previous election drive. Councilman Ralph

Bauer and other residents contributed to the $14,669 she raised in new

funds.

Candidates Lou Baker, Joseph Carchio, Stephen Garcia, Robert Johnson

and Mark Luis did not raise any funds for the election, city officials

said.

City Election Clerk Kelly Mandic said Oct. 5 was the deadline for the

fund-raising reports, with all but five candidates filing on time.

Contribution and expense reports for Joey Racano, Thomas Doney, J. Devin

Dwyer, Lou Baker and Lewis arrived late, she added.

“Late filings can draw a fine anywhere between $10 and $100,” Mandic

said Tuesday, adding that some of the statements were mailed, so

exceptions have been made. “We’re still waiting on some information from

Racano, but other than that everything’s in.”

FOUNTAIN VALLEY CITY COUNCIL

All six candidates filed their campaign statements on time, with

incumbent Larry Crandall, who is seeking his second term, raising $9,120.

He contributed more than half of what he earned -- $5,118.

Other contributions came from Steve Bone, president of the Robert

Mayer Corp. and a member of the Huntington Beach Conference & Visitors

Bureau board of directors; the Fountain Valley Estates, a mobile home

park; and the Lincoln Club of Orange.

Seasoned candidate Cheryl Brothers amassed $6,159, and like Crandall,

loaned herself the lion’s share of her funds -- $5,000. Donations were

also made by several individuals, including two Fountain Valley

residents.

Newcomer Mark McCurdy rounds out the top three fund-raisers for the

race, bringing in $4,168 -- all of which was loaned to him under his

legal name, Joel M. McCurdy.

Incumbent Chuck Conlosh raised $2,300, and newcomers John W. Briscoe

and Douglas Henry each raised less than $1,000.

OCEAN VIEW, HUNTINGTON BEACH UNION HIGH SCHOOL AND COAST COMMUNITY

COLLEGE BOARDS OF TRUSTEESNearly all of the campaign statements for the

school board races are in.

Among the school board candidates, the big money-raiser was Daniel

Kittredge, a candidate for the Coast Community College District board,

Area 3. Kittredge received $12,360, almost half of which came from the

Coast Federation of Educators’ Committee on Political Education.

Close behind Kittredge is Huntington Beach Union High School District

candidate Michael Simons with $9,107. Most of Simons’ contributions have

come from individuals, many of whom are district administrators and

school staff. Ed Laird, chief executive of Coating Resources Corp.,

donated the largest individual contribution, $500.

Huntington Beach Union High School District candidate Susan Henry

collected $8,600. She supplied all but $100 herself.

Two candidates, Huntington Beach Union High School District candidate

Ted Tadayon and Ocean View School District candidate Peg Edey raised less

than $1,000.

However, Edey has not filed yet because she had not received funds

until this week, but she said her campaign will remain under $1,000.

Candidates with late filings are charged $10 a day until the statement

is filed. The Orange County Registrar of Voters allow for a 10-day grace

period and waives fees for statements filed during that time.