There are no limits to the money you can throw at Richmond’s mayoral candidates. But the donations must be disclosed. With the recent release of their campaigns’ financial health as of June 30, Style culled the Virginia Public Access Project (www.vpap.org), a nonpartisan state money-tracking organization, along with other campaign finance documents filed with the city.
Here are some of the tidbits we encountered: Paul Goldman
?. Beyond Richmond: Of $3,500 Goldman reports coming into the campaign, $2,000 of that — $1,000 each — comes from Roanoke and Boston.
?. Calling Dick Cheney: Goldman, former chairman of the state Democratic Party, indicates on his statement of economic interest that he’s owned $50,001 to $250,000 worth of stock in Halliburton, the oil and gas-services company where Cheney worked as chief executive. (The forms ask only for broad ranges of stock value.)
Robert J. Grey Jr.
?. Me Time: The Hunton & Williams attorney has loaned his campaign $10,000.
?. Good Friends: Grey scooped up $86,100 — the most new money raised during the campaign. The usual corporate donors include a handful of the Gang of 26 — local business leaders who advocated an appointed School Board in an open letter last year. Appearing cheek-by-jowl in the list of $500 donors are former state Democratic Chairman Larry H. Framme and former state Republican Chairman John H. Hager.
?. The Wilder Connection: One of Grey’s donors is Richard Cullen, a lawyer at cross-town rival McGuireWoods who counts Mayor L. Douglas Wilder as a client. And campaign consultant Michael Brown is Wilder’s nephew.
?. Lots of Advice: Other seasoned consultants include locals Abby Easter and Rhett Walker. His unpaid resources include high-school pal Joe Slay, a Martin Agency brand-publicity partner. Campaign consultant Beth DunCombe has jetted in for a visit from Detroit. Most notably, she helped her brother-in-law, Dennis Archer — who preceded Grey as president of the American Bar Association — win dual elections as mayor of Detroit in the ’90s. (David Axelrod was involved too, though he’s a little tied up as Barack Obama’s chief strategist.)
The Rev. Dwight C. Jones
?. Double Dipper: Jones pulled the second-highest amount of new money next to Grey at $80,656. But he had the highest total by adding in $50,000 raised during his House of Delegates campaigns. He also received donations from 22 state legislators and a cabinet secretary.
?. Fellow Preacher: Jones got $2,000 from the Rev. Al Sharpton.
?. PAC Power: While Grey’s racked up a lot of support from corporate executives, Jones seems to be scooping up lobbying money from corporate PACs, as well as Dominion’s former chief lobbyist Eva Teig Hardy and her successor, Bob Blue.
William J. Pantele
?. Strength in Numbers: Pantele boasts the highest number of individual campaign contributions. They helped him raise a little less than half of his $129,477 haul.
?. War Chest: Pantele kicked in $77,185 from a fund set up for his council races.
?. Ukrop Connection: Although there’s been speculation that Jim Ukrop helped convince Grey to get in the race, he’s given Pantele $2,500.
?. Potpourri: Douglas Jemal, a Washington, D.C., developer who owns a chunk of Broad Street, gave Pantele $500. Other small donors include Starlite Lounge, a Kaine cabinet secretary and City Auditor Umesh Dalal’s wife Hina.
Lawrence Williams
?. Anyone Out There? The local architect reports no campaign contributions.
