Sioux Falls school board candidates file campaign finance paperwork with $48K in donations
More than $48,000 have already poured into campaign accounts for the upcoming April 9 school board election, according to pre-election campaign finance reports due Tuesday, 15 days prior to the election.
Donations have come from former teachers and principals, supporters of the Sioux Falls School District, local millionaires and more residents who have an interest in seeing one of five of the candidates take two open seats on the board for a two-year term. Even former board president Cynthia Mickelson gave to both Marc Murren’s and Bobbie Tibbetts’ campaigns.
Murren raised less than he did at this time three years ago when he ran for school board and won his seat in 2021 with a pre-election campaign finance report at $17,063.97, compared with his current $13,485.
Tibbetts raised the most of her peers so far at $17,493.80 in pre-election campaign fundraising, which surpassed Murren’s 2021 pre-election fundraising, but wasn’t quite close enough to beat Dawn Marie Johnson’s 2023 pre-election fundraising record of $17,770.50.
This pre-election campaign finance report season beat the 2021 election season, when five candidates had raised more than $35,000 at this point in the race.
More: Vouchers, DEI, books: Sioux Falls school board candidates give hot takes ahead of Election Day
Stuart Willett's full campaign paperwork, including a vital document entitled "local jurisdictions campaign finance disclosure report," was uploaded late on Thursday morning.
Marc Murren
Marc Murren raised $2,135 in unitemized direct contributions from individuals who donated $100 or less, and $11,350 in itemized direct contributions from individuals who gave more than $100, including:
$2,000 from Tom & Kris Reaves
$1,000 each from Mike Teslow, Lindsay Stern, Matt Paulson, former Washington High School principal Jan Nicolay, Dwight & Kathryn Dykstra, and Joe & Kathryn Carmody.
$500 each from Brad Swenson, John Sturdevant, Drew Reaves, and Loren Murren.
$250 each from Mark & Cynthia Mickelson, Michael & Karen Mahan and Steve Hildebrand, who is the founder of the Promising Futures Fund.
$200 each from Rod Schuldt, Jeff Scherschligt and Wayne Carney.
He’s spent $9,589.96 on advertising, $300 to nonprofit charitable organizations, $540 on postage and $498.35 on printing, for a total of $10,928.31 in expenditures.
He started with a balance of $223.37 from his last campaign cycle when he was elected in 2021, and with $13,485 total in campaign income and $10,928.31 in expenditures so far, he has an ending balance of $2,780.06 at this time.
Gail Swenson
Gail Swenson raised $1,432 in unitemized direct contributions from individuals who donated $100 or less, and $7,650 in itemized direct contributions from individuals who gave more than $100, including:
$1,000 each from Bonnie Mehlbrech and Sandra & Grant Wearne.
$500 each from Kevin & Barb Kavanaugh, Katie Wearne, and Pat McMunigal, who is the treasurer of Swenson’s campaign.
$250 each from Susan Lee, Janice Nicolay, and Evelyn Griesse.
$200 each from Eric & Ruth Grinager, Susan Aguilar, and Denny & Linda Pierson.
$150 each from Mare Van Tassel, Carla Middlen, John & Stacey Pohlman and Thomas Cool.
$100 each from Mark & Karen Swenson, Tom & Ann Garry, Ann Robertson, Tasha Margarita, former Lincoln High School principal Valerie Fox, Vernon & Tami Brown, Debra Lucas, Candis Hanson, Susan Cronkite, Sandra & Thomas Hendry, Elaine Roberts, Twila Baedke, Douglas Allen & Kathy Case, Sonja Mentzler, Mary Standaert, Norman Bliss, Barbara Lindquist, Arlene Brandt-Jenson, Kim Soldatke, Cynthia Zechmann, Sheryl Johnson, who is running for Rep. Dusty Johnson’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Melanie Bliss, who moderated the school board candidate debate for the League of Women Voters earlier this month.
Swenson also received $500 from the in-state political action committee Change Agents of South Dakota, and a donation valued at $122.84 in stamps and thank-you notes from campaign treasurer Pat McMunigal.
She’s spent a total of $7,608.46 so far on her campaign, including $3,270 in advertising with Lamar, $2,766.51 on printing signs, $900 in advertising with the Dakota Scout, $212.40 for “Design Work for Printing,” $179.39 on rack cards, $136 on stamps, $64.53 for “ActBlue fees” for online donations, $55 on business cards, $19.63 on a clipboard and legal size portfolio, and $5 on a cashier’s check.
More: Here's what Sioux Falls school board candidates have to say about why they're running
With a total campaign income of $9,582 and $7,608.46 in expenses, Swenson has $1,973.54 remaining in her campaign account at this time.
Bobbie Tibbetts
Bobbie Tibbetts raised $1,075.95 in unitemized direct contributions from individuals who donated $100 or less, and $15,217.85 in itemized direct contributions from individuals who gave more than $100, including:
$1,000 each from Matt Paulson, First Premier Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse, Douglas Muth, Patrick Seykora and The Everist Company president Tom Everist.
$521.15 each from Amanda Seykora, Reggie Kuipers, Bob Baker, and Micah Aberson.
$500 each from First Premier Bank President Dave Rozenboom, Garry Jacobson, Kimber Severson, Dan Kirby, Nicholas Gustafson, Matthew Bock, and Robert Fagnan.
$350 from Natalie Eisenberg
$300 from Gerry Krueger
$260.73 each from Dustin Haber and Suzanne Veenis.
$250 each from Tony Nour, John Henkhaus, and Catherine Jacobson.
$208.65 from Jody Nour and Angi Allen, who is a fellow plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Sioux Falls School District for its decision to cut the gymnastics program last year.
$200 each from Orlen Tschetter, R. Bury, and Bryce Healy.
$150 from Cynthia Mickelson
$104.48 each from Tom Van Wyhe, Rich Adcock, Anthony Saigh, Charity Condon, Vanessa Humpal, Brad Jankord, Kristen Ericcson, and Eric Van Beek, who is a fellow plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Sioux Falls School District for its decision to cut the gymnastics program last year.
Tibbetts also received $1,000 from the in-state political action committee Sioux Empire Better Government Committee, and $200 from the candidate committee Schlekeway for Senate.
She’s spent a total of $2,375.58, including $2,084.18 on printing, and $291.40 on credit card fees.
More: 5 candidates enter race for two seats on Sioux Falls School District Board of Education
With $17,493.80 in campaign income, and $2,375.58 in expenditures, Tibbetts has $15,118.22 remaining in her campaign account at this time.
Stuart Willett
Stuart Willett raised $250 in unitemized direct contributions from individuals who donated $100 or less, and $5,222.72 in itemized direct contributions from the following individuals:
$2,500 from Willett himself
$500 each from Kim Petterson and Kathy Sullivan
$470 from Chad Bishop, a member of the local Moms for Liberty chapter
$302.72 from Amy Bruner, another member of the local Moms for Liberty chapter
$250 from Maria Agrawal
$200 each from Adam Broin and Bridget Myers
$100 each from Lori Larson, Jill Stoebner and Renee Johnson
He’s spent $1,765.09 so far on his campaign, including $1,462.37 on advertising and $302.72 on printing. He's raised $5,472.72 total, and has $3,707.63 remaining in his campaign account at this time.
Pat Starr
Pat Starr raised $2,850 in unitemized direct contributions from individuals who donated $100 or less, and unlike his peers, doesn’t have any itemized direct contributions from individuals who gave more than $100.
76 Art in Sioux Falls donated a logo design to him, estimated at $225. He’s spent $18 on bank fees, and has $2,832 left to spend at this time.
Clarification: A previous version of this article incorrectly referenced the company name associated with Thomas Everist. The story has been updated to relfect this change.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls school board race sees $48K in campaign donations
