Elections and Campaign Cash: Cost to run creeping up even in local races

Madeline Rogero needed about $6,800 in campaign cash when she successfully unseated then-2nd District Knox County Commissioner Jesse Cawood in 1990.

More than two decades later, she’d end of spending 70 times that amount to win the city’s mayoral seat.

When her current term is up in four years, local experts expect that race to cost even more.

It’s a trend, they said, and one that isn’t going away.

“Yes, it’s an unfortunate one and I don’t see it tapering off,” said Victor Ashe, who served as Knoxville’s mayor for 16 years and is now a local political columnist. “Certainly someone with the shoe leather can still prevail even if you’re outspent three-to-one, but in a larger race for city or county it becomes more difficult. You can’t meet all the voters.”

Ashe knows a thing or two about raising money.

Mark O'Gorman

As a state representative and state senator in the 1970s and 1980s, he routinely brought in $30,000 to $40,000 per campaign. But it wasn’t until 1987 when he decided to run for mayor that he truly needed the big bucks: at least $350,000.

“The money was no guarantee to win, but it sure helped,” Ashe said. “It gets you an ability to communicate directly to potential voters. It certainly enables you to be front and center in the voter’s mind.”

Mark O’Gorman, a political science professor at Maryville College, agreed.

“Money does two or three things,” he said. “It’s a strong indicator in terms of support of candidates. It shows that you can get money (and) it shows you have people who are willing to put their money where their mouth is. It’s a good pre-voting indicator.”

Experts note that each race is different and the amount raised is tied to the number of candidates and just how much effort those running put into the race. Those who spoke with WBIR 10News said there is no average amount or threshold per contest that someone seeking office needs to hit, and that money is certainly no guarantee to win. But, they said it’s getting more and more expensive to seek office, even in smaller contests like school board seats.

Rest of story RIGHT HERE.

Knox earmarks surplus expenditures

Knox County officials have put together a shopping list for how they would like to spend what is expected to be as much as $6 million in surplus revenues, with roughly half the money targeted for health care, employee raises, new patrol cars and software upgrades.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said there’s “nothing fancy” about the designations and noted that they are “basic needs” rather than “wants.”

“I think the departments understand that I’m serious when I say that we need to be fiscally responsible,” the mayor said. “They’re not coming to me with outlandish proposals. They’re coming to me with fiscally responsible ones, unlike what they’re doing in Washington where the politicians continuously spend more money than they’re taking in.”

As it stands, the county’s finance department on Tuesday said the general fund should get between $5 million and $6 million more than what officials projected last year when they put together the budget for fiscal year 2013, which ended in late June. The mayor’s office has earmarked just under $3.1 million of the money for purchases, and expects to put the rest into the reserves.

The Knox County Commission will discuss the proposal during this month’s meeting, and decide whether to approve the expenditures.

Click right smack here for the entire bad a$$ story and to get all the details.

Elected folks and their workers' coin

For absolutely no reason, other than people always like to know what county folks make, I asked the Human Resources Department to send me a list of the top five money-makers employed under our local elected officials. (The county people, that is. I don't care about the city.)

Additionally, I asked for Howard Hogan's people, too. Hogan, clerk and master of the chancery courts, isn't elected, but rather appointed by the judges every six years. I included him because his department is one of six county fee offices. The other five are elected. But, I figured that was fair.

In addition to Hogan, I've got County Clerk Foster Arnett, Attorney General Randy Nichols, Trustee John Duncan III, Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey, Circuit Court Clerk Cathy Quist, Law Director Joe Jarret, Register of Deeds Sherry Witt, Property Assessor Phil Ballard, Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones, Public Defender Mark Stephens and Mayor Tim Burchett.

I didn't ask for the commissioners because they have three underpaid (if only because they have to deal with commissioners) folks in their office. And I forgot about the judges.

Also note: Under Burchett, the folks are actually employees under his overall purview - not necessarily in the "Mayor's Office."

On just a quick glance, it appears that Hogan's workers make the least out of the officials. Not surprising since he's not elected. Go figure.

Heh.

Burchett's workers came in at the most. But, most of them are department directors, not deputies (with the exception of his chief of staff.)

Next up was Jarret. But, attorneys make a lot of money. Unless of course, you work in the public defender's office.

Anyhoo, the document is right here.