Green Bay City Council, Brown County Board election spending, endorsements: What to know

Jeff Bollier and Benita Mathew, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Updated ·7 min read

GREEN BAY - Pre-Election Day campaign filings show Green Bay City Council and Brown County Board candidates have raised more than $57,000 in 2024, an amount dwarfed by special interest group expenditures.

A Press-Gazette review of pre-election campaign finance reports filed with Green Bay, Brown County and the Wisconsin Ethics Commission found candidate campaign committees raised from $300 up to $8,000 in 2024.

One outside interest group alone spent almost $50,000 in March on mailers and online advertising for seven Green Bay City Council candidates. Such spending often includes endorsements for individuals or slates of candidates, too.

Not all candidates and committees have filed campaign finance reports, and some political action committees, or PACs, are federally registered and have not filed reports, yet. Here's a look at what the candidates have raised and spent, what some interest groups have spent to endorse or oppose candidates, and what state and local political parties have spent as the April 2 election approaches.

Candidates for Brown County Board Districts 5 and 24 participated in a forum March 16 at Franklin Middle School in Green Bay. From left are Gloria Eastman, Dan Theno, Ross Toellner and Vanya Koepke.
Candidates for Brown County Board Districts 5 and 24 participated in a forum March 16 at Franklin Middle School in Green Bay. From left are Gloria Eastman, Dan Theno, Ross Toellner and Vanya Koepke.

What have Brown County Board candidates raised ahead of Election Day?

Here's what each Brown County Board candidates raised during the reporting period from Feb. 6 to March 18 and the total they have raised in 2024. Some candidates may have collected additional campaign contributions in 2023.

Candidates who pledge to not raise and spend more than $2,500 on their campaigns are exempt from filing requirements. In Brown County, only four candidates in the contested districts went over $2,500 and were required to file finance reports. The eight other contested candidates will be marked "Exempt" below. (i) denotes incumbent.

District 5

  • Dan Theno (i): $4,550 from Feb. 6 to March 18, $4,550 total in 2024.

  • Gloria Jane Eastman: Exempt

District 6

  • Kathy LeFebvre (i): Exempt

  • Steven Campbell: $1,631, $3,383

District 14

  • Nick Dagneau (i): Exempt

  • Latosha Greenleaf: Exempt

District 18

  • Patrick Hopkins (i): Exempt

  • Katie McDonald: Exempt

District 23

  • Ray Suennen (i): Exempt

  • Dixon Wolfe: $3,413, $3,712

District 24

  • Vanya Koepke: Exempt

  • Ross Toellner: $2,160, $2,327

The Green Bay City Council at its Feb. 6 meeting at City Hall in Green Bay.
The Green Bay City Council at its Feb. 6 meeting at City Hall in Green Bay.

What have Green Bay City Council candidates raised ahead of Election Day?

Here's what each Green Bay City Council candidate raised during the reporting period from Feb. 6 to March 18, and what they have raised in 2024. Some candidates may have collected additional campaign contributions in 2023.

Candidates who pledge to not raise or spend more than $2,500 on their campaigns are exempt from filing requirements and will be marked "Exempt" below. (i) denotes incumbent.

Some candidates' pre-election reports had not posted to the city's website by Wednesday. The Press-Gazette will update this report when the information becomes available.

District 1

  • Barb Dorff: $8,028 from Feb. 6 to March 18, $8,028 total in 2024

  • Jennifer Grant (i): $4,907, $4,907

District 2

  • Jim Hutchison (i): $1,347, $1,347

  • Andy Nicholson: Exempt

District 4

  • William Galvin (i): $500, $2,159

  • Jon Shelton: $2,325, $5,311

District 5

  • Craig Stevens (i): Exempt

  • Robert Maccaux: Exempt

District 6

  • Steven Campbell (i): $1,250, $3,000

  • Joey Prestley: $2,799, $4,527

District 7

  • Adrian Liddicoat: $969, $1,269

  • Alyssa Proffitt: $300, $300

District 8

Jim Ridderbush: Not yet published.

Chris Wery (i): $8,670, $8,670

District 9

Brian Johnson (i): $1,500, $1,500

Tarl Knight: Exempt

District 10

Ben Delie: $1,709.06, $2,400.99

Jeff Osborne: $2,000, $3,871

District 11

Melinda Eck (i): $2,393, $5,565

Michael Poradek: $1,930, $2,149

District 12

  • Bobby Lindsey: $3,272, $3,272

  • Kathy Hinkfuss: $3,205, $3,205

Brown County Democrats, Republicans spend on robocalls

The Democratic and Republican parties of Brown County spent a combined $577 on robocalls between Feb. 6 and March 18, including in-kind contributions to two local candidates' campaigns.

Expenditure reports show the Democratic Party of Brown County spent $168 on robocalls. The Republican Party of Brown County spent $409.

The Republican Party’s robocall expenditures included $202 in in-kind contributions to specific Green Bay City Council candidates’ campaign groups: Two in-kind contributions to Friends of Steven Campbell totaling $129 and one contribution to Friends of Melinda Eck worth $73.20 were reported.

Notices explain referendum questions that are up for a public vote in the spring election are posted on Wednesday at City Hall in Green Bay. Early in-person absentee voting in Green Bay runs through noon Saturday.
Notices explain referendum questions that are up for a public vote in the spring election are posted on Wednesday at City Hall in Green Bay. Early in-person absentee voting in Green Bay runs through noon Saturday.

Brown County Republican and Democratic parties endorse slates of Green Bay, Brown County candidates

The fact most local races on the April 2 ballot are nonpartisan did not stop the county's Republican and Democratic parties from endorsing candidates in Brown County, Green Bay, De Pere, Ashwaubenon, Allouez, Wrightstown, Bellevue and Denmark elections.

For Brown County Board, local Republicans endorsed Dan Theno, Steve Campbell, Nick Dagneau, Katie McDonald, Dixon Wolfe and Vanya Koepke.

For Green Bay City Council, the local Democrats endorsed Barbara Dorff, Jim Hutchison, Jon Shelton, Bill Galvin, Craig Stevens, Joey Prestley, Alyssa Proffitt, Jim Ridderbush, Ben Delie, Michael Poradek and Kathy Hinkfuss. Of note: Galvin and Shelton face each other in District 4 but both got endorsements while the Democrats made no endorsement in the District 9 race between Brian Johnson and Tarl Knight.

Local Republicans endorsed City Council candidates Jennifer Grant, Andy Nicholson, Bill Galvin, Robert Maccaux, Adrian Liddicoat, Chris Wery, Brian Johnson, Jeff Osborne, Melinda Eck and Bobby Lindsey.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters committee spends almost $50,000 supporting Green Bay City Council candidates

The Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee spent $49,800 during the filing period on mailers and online advertising that backed or endorsed Prestley, Proffitt, Johnson, Ridderbush, Delie, Hinkfuss and Hutchison.

The group endorses candidates that share the group’s values of “clean water, clean air, accessible public lands, an equitable, safe democracy, and the pursuit of clean energy,” according to its website. Here's a look at the total spent for each candidate:

  • Prestley: $5,869.08

  • Proffitt: $6,190.84

  • Johnson: $4,416.90

  • Delie: $8,170.68

  • Ridderbush: $8,208.05

  • Hinkfuss: $8,241.24

  • Hutchison: $8,818.19

National conservative political group contributes to Brown County Republicans

The Republican Party of Brown County filed a "special report of late contribution" from the conservative political action committee Turning Point USA. The Arizona-based group made the $1,200 contribution on March 20. Turning Point USA educates and trains high school and college students to promote "freedom" and "restore traditional American values," according to its website.

The contribution to Brown County is part of Turning Point's get-out-the vote campaign to support local candidates in Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia in 2024. Through the "Chase the Vote" initiative in its political wing, Turning Point Action, the group hired over a thousand field organizers to "track and chase key target ballots" in swing states.

Brown County Board candidate Dixon Wolfe in District 23 is one of the field representatives for Turning Point Action, according to his LinkedIn, and an at-large member of the Republican Party of Brown County's executive committee. On a March 11 episode of the "Red, Right & Wisconsin" podcast hosted by Joe Giganti, Wolfe said he joined Turning Point Action in August 2023 and "travels the state for conservative activism" for canvassing.

What other groups have contributed to or endorsed local candidates and campaigns?

A Washington, D.C.-based group focused on ballot access and voting issues, Open Democracy PAC, has mailed ads to voters in at least two Green Bay City Council districts, one in support of Ridderbush and one opposing Melinda Eck.

Union-affiliated groups and PACs have also contributed to local campaigns and endorsed local candidates.

The Wisconsin People Conference PAC, a committee affiliated with the state teachers union WEAC, donated $2,400 total to six Green Bay City Council candidates: Delie, Proffitt, Dorff, Ridderbush, Shelton and Prestley. The Milwaukee-based Service and Hospitality PAC contributed $400 to both Shelton and Prestley.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO endorsed Brown County Board candidates LeFebvre, Eastman and Toellner. It also endorsed Dorff, Hutchison, Shelton, Prestley, Proffitt, Ridderbush and Hinkfuss for Green Bay City Council. The AFL-CIO is a national federation of 60 unions.

(Editor's note: The story was revised to adjust the description of the political action committee Turning Point USA.)

Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @benita_mathew.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Tracking Green Bay, Brown County campaign spending, endorsements