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City Beat
Yeager beat Cunningham in campaign spending
District 6 winner reached limit for what he could raise
By Kate Carter
Not only did District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager beat Kris Cunningham last November in the race for the council seat, records show he also won the race for campaign contributions and expenditures by about $35,000.
Yeager's campaign disclosure statement, filed Jan. 31, showed he had spent more than $160,000 during 2000. His report also showed about $1,000 remaining in his campaign account, which Yeager said he has since spent on his swearing-in party in January.
Yeager said he raised the maximum amount allowed as a voluntary participant in San Jose's campaign spending limit program. Assistant City Clerk Nancy Alford said District 6 candidates were restricted to raising and spending no more than $89,470 (or $1 per district resident) in each of the primary and runoff elections.
Yeager raised nearly $179,000 throughout his candidacy and used none of his own money, he said.
"We wanted to raise as much as we could before Christmas 1999," Yeager said. "We had three months to do it."
Cunningham's Jan. 30 report showed she raised just over $75,000 for the run-off election, about $14,000 less than Yeager. She said she raised just under $69,000 before the primary election in March, bringing her total to about $144,000 for the entire campaign.
Cunningham was also subject to the voluntary spending limits, but wasn't able to reach the top amount.
"I wish we could've raised the maximum," she said. "For a first-time election, people tell me we did well. It's not easy. I consider it one of the more unpleasant tasks of running for office."
Cunningham said she loaned about $2,000 of her own money to her campaign, but was able to pay herself back for most of it. She said the few hundred dollars she had left over were used to pay for food at her election night party.
San Jose candidates may begin raising campaign money six months before the election date and must stop receiving contributions 17 days before the election date.
Both Yeager and Cunningham said they used the bulk of their contributions for the general election on mailings to potential voters in the weeks prior to Nov. 7. Yeager said he sent two mailers to people throughout District 6 and several others to smaller groups of voters. Cunningham said she sent three mailings to likely District 6 voters.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
