Campaign style differences show up in financial statements filed
Decker has raised the most with half from individuals
Glickman raises the least
By Nathan R. Huff
Campaign financing statements filed Oct. 5 show big differences in the campaigning styles of the four Los Gatos Town Council candidates.
Former Planning Commissioner Sandy Decker led the group in fundraising, bringing in a total of $17,876 in loans and cash contributions. General Plan task force leader Mike Abkin was second, raising a total of $16,294. Community Foundation President Paul Dubois was next with $14,721, and Los Gatos Union School District Board Trustee Steve Glickman was a distant fourth, raising $2,400.
Decker and Dubois were almost even in expenditures, the former spending $14,947 since July and the latter $14,314. Abkin trailed with a spending total of $7,941 and Glickman barely registered on the spending radar, dropping less than $1,100 up to this point.
The statements, covering the period of Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, include information on all donations and loans of $100 or more and all expenditures of more than $100. Contributions and expenditures of less than $100 are totaled, but not itemized. The candidates will file again Oct. 26, and any sums of more than $1,000 to or from a single source must be reported within 24 hours after that.
A breakdown of the comparable fundraising and spending numbers between Dubois, Decker and Abkin show an early contrast in styles. Dubois has loaned himself $13,700 so far, and has only three individual donations over $100.
Decker has received almost half her contributions from individuals. Twenty-four individuals have contributed over $100, and she's raised $1,676 in donations of less than $100 each, for a total of $8,876 in individual contributions. Her list of donors include former Planning Commissioner Kathy Morgan and several General Plan task force members, including fellow candidate Abkin, who cut Decker a $200 check. She has also received two individual contributions of $1,000 or more, including a $2,000 check from Barbara Flanagan. In addition to outside contributions, Decker has loaned herself $9,000.
Abkin raised a field-leading $10,271 in contributions during the filing period, including $3,221 in donations of less than $100 each. Many names that appear on Decker's list--Mark Brodsky, Larry Arzie, Kathy Morgan--also appear on Abkin's. Abkin has also taken out two loans totaling $5,800, both from family members.
Glickman's low-key fundraising has included a $2,100 loan to himself, $100 in unitemized contributions and two $100 checks, one from the Santa Clara County Democratic Club. His spending up to this point has been equally minimalist; just over $1,000 in registration fees, postage and mailing, signs and campaign photos.
Decker and Dubois' spending has been much more complex. Decker spent approximately $3,720 on a fundraiser that included food and entertainment. She's spent almost $5,000 on literature, $3,885 on web design and $2,010 on other campaign supplies.
Dubois, meanwhile, spent just over $10,000 with Paramount Communications of Salinas for campaign consulting services. Of that, almost $7,000 went toward his own literature, signs and campaign supplies. Paramount also spent $346 of Dubois' money on polling and survey research from Santa Clara County.
Abkin's spending has been more conservative. He's spent $772 on his website and $5,323 on campaign literature. His only other costs have been postage, filing fees, voter lists and $504 in unitemized expenditures.
Contributions and expenditures--with the exception of Glickman--are up sharply from this time in the 1998 council race. Councilman Randy Attaway led the field in contributions with a mere $5,300.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
