Mary Byrne
Between the three contested races for office and two hotly debated ballot questions, campaigns raised $121,636 for the April 2 election, only a portion of which appeared to be spent locally, according to the pre-election finance reports.
According to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign Finance, candidates must file pre-election campaign finance reports by March 25. The reports list donations received, expenditures — including out-of-pocket expenses — and account balances. They are required for candidates in contested races and the committees formed to support the ballot measures.
Printing and mailing costs for fliers and yard signs accounted for most campaign expenditures. Some campaigns spent money on consultants, others on digital advertising and campaign kick-off parties.
Next week, in addition to races for the Select Board, School Committee, and Town Moderator, voters will be asked to approve an $8.4 million Proposition 2½ override (Question 1) and whether the town should transition the board of assessors position from an elected role to an appointed one (Question 2).
Question 1: The Override
According to the finance report filed March 15, Invest in Belmont – urging a “yes” vote on the override – has received cash contributions of $41,564, or more than double that of the No campaign, which reported receipts of $18,138.
When in-kind contributions are added, the totals are about $42,000 for the Yes group and nearly $33,000 for the No Override committee.
The Yes campaign reported about $500 of in-kind donations for buttons and printing. It spent $22,199 in the most recent filing period, with printing and postage costs accounting for most of those expenses.
The No campaign spent $13,800 for things such as digital ads, printing and mailing fliers, and $5,000 on a consulting firm. Most of its $14,625 in-kind donations went to mailing fliers, as well as a vinyl banner, signs, and door hangers. All of those in-kind contributions came from Citizens for a Fiscally Responsible Belmont.
The two campaigns had different bases of support. The No group received the most cash from Elizabeth Allison, who is also listed as one of the charter supporters of Citizens for a Fiscally Responsible Belmont, with gifts totaling $10,050. The No Committee received 41 cash donations over $50.
Meanwhile, the Yes campaign received 146 donations, the largest of which was $728 from Alexandra Van Geel.
For Question 2, a group supporting the measure reported raising $1,378. Of that, $39 went to pay Raise the Money, an online interface for collecting online contributions.
Town-wide Races
Matthew Kraft and Angus Abercrombie spent more than incumbent Meghan Moriarty. Kraft raised $9,932 and Abercrombie $7,028. Both candidates exhausted most of their money before the election.
Moriarty raised $3,432 this period and reported spending just $857 on yard signs.
In the Select Board race, Geoffrey Lubien raised $16,316 as of the March 25 filing. Since Jan. 1, he has spent $11,002, mainly on printing and postage fees, yard signs, door hangers, and consulting. Candidate Matthew Taylor, meanwhile, brought in a total of $6,872, of which $6,584 was spent on yard signs and mailing costs.
Select Board candidate Alex Howard spent just under $1,000. All the money Howard spent was out-of-pocket.
Finally, it’s not every year a moderator race draws community-wide interest, but this year’s candidates raked in donations in their pursuit of the position. Incumbent Michael Widmer reported $11,119 in donations, with $3,317 spent on mailing and loan repayment. Michael Crowley raised $5,587, spent mainly on mailing and yard signs.
Candidates may have raised or spent additional money on campaigning, which will be reflected in the next campaign finance report, due after the election.
