State filings show SJSD election expenditures
Mar. 27—Local candidates for school board have spent thousands on the election set for April 2, but everything they've expended combined is still far exceeded by anonymous political action committees.
Two committees of immediate relevance exist. The first, Friends of St. Joseph School District 2024, does not support any candidates and is focused only on passage of the $20 million bond titled Proposition St. Joseph School District. The second, Families for a Strong St. Joseph, declared that it supports board candidates Jacob McMillian and Ronda Chesney. The Families PAC also opposes the bond.
As of March 25, the Friends PAC had invested $19,752 in April 2 election-related costs, while the Families PAC reported costs of $30,537. All candidate expenditures combined add to about $27,373, a mere 54.4% of the total PAC spending. Some expenses may not yet be on record. All data is obtained from the Missouri Ethics Commission, the state's election watchdog.
Since it began operations, McMillian and Chesney have said they did not authorize and do not communicate with the Families PAC. Both have endorsed passage of the bond. Along with choosing three school board candidates on April 2, voters will approve or reject the bond; for passage, "yes" must clear at least 57.143% of all ballots cast.
Of the 10 board candidates to be found on the ballot, seven have set up a group to aid their election effort, according to Missouri Ethics Commission filings: Chesney, McMillian, Mike Moore, LaTonya Williams, Sean Connors, Kenneth Reeder and Kim Dragoo. Another candidate, Tami Pasley, has no group set up in her name. Warren Ingram III has no filings and said Wednesday that he does not intend to spend any money on the race. Steven Carrillo has no filings, and unofficially quit the race earlier in March. He will still be on the ballot.
"I just decided to not spend any money, cause when you do so, upon hitting a certain amount you have to file through the (MEC)," Ingram said. "It was a can of worms I did not want to open, being a first-time office runner."
The Friends PAC lists a $1,000 donation from the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce; no other contributors are listed. The Families PAC used its $30,537 to pay for mailed flyers that urge people to oppose the $20 million bond and vote for Chesney and McMillian. The Families PAC lists no donors, except for a single $100 contribution from Excelsior PAC of Kansas City. All other expenditures, the group said on its forms, constitute debts that will be paid later.
Pasley's purchase of yard signs for about $617 is her only declared campaign cost, which she undertook personally. No donors are listed in support of this cost or any other costs affecting Pasley.
Of the candidate groups, Moore's has spent the most, with about $10,850 logged. The largest donor to Moore's group is James Robinson, who gave $2,500. Williams' group is at No. 2 on the expense ranking, at about $4,893. Her largest contribution is $1,000 from the Northwest Missouri Central Labor Council. Chesney's group, having spent about $3,584, is also backed by Robinson for $2,000, her largest listed donor.
McMillian's group, which has spent about $2,865, likewise received a $2,000 gift from Robinson. Dragoo's group has one listed donor, her husband Steven, who has given $2,170; her expenses total $2,325. Connors' group, having spent about $2,068 to date, received his largest gift of $1,000 from Matt Hoskins.
Reeder's group claims no official expenses on its filings, but Reeder said he intends to spend $170 soon on stickers for his campaign signs. Those signs, which are as of Wednesday found in various parts of St. Joseph, have been in storage and do not represent a new expense, Reeder said. His single listed contribution of $500 comes from Chris Danford. Reeder often campaigned for office before his school board election in 2021.
"Oh, I've had those for years," Reeder said. "I'll be buying stickers to retrofit them for this campaign."
Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem
