As the St. Louis mayoral primary nears, the race’s four candidates have submitted reports to the Missouri Ethics Commission that disclose campaign finance activity through mid-January.
While there are hundreds of contributions recorded, several big-picture notes and individual donations should be highlighted.
The maximum donation allowed by an individual or committee to a mayoral candidate is limited to $2,600, as stipulated by a St. Louis Board of Alderman bill unanimously passed in June 2018.
In addition to campaign funds, political committees that make only independent expenditures may solicit and accept unlimited contributions from individuals and other groups. Their finances are not included in this report.
Alderwoman Cara Spencer
St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer, Ward 20, outraised her three opponents with $252,199 in contributions — $163,818 of that money came from 95 contributions of at least $1,000 each. Of those 96 contributions, about half (47) are from addresses outside city limits, adding up to $76,668. Two of those 47 contributions came from addresses outside the state of Missouri — one in Florida and one in Tennessee.
Thirty of those 96 donations amounted to $2,600 a piece.
Several unions contributed to Spencer’s campaign, including the Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers which donated $200 and the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, which donated $1,000. The Communication Workers of America also donated $250.
Kansas-City based Commerce Bank owner, Commerce Bancshares Inc., donated $1,000 to Spencer’s campaign.
Commerce Bancshares donated around $57,000 to Republicans during the 2019-2020 election cycle, according to the St. Louis Business Journal. Those contributions included at least $2,000 to U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri. They have also donated, albeit in smaller amounts, to Democratic candidates throughout Missouri in previous elections.
David Kemper, a Commerce Bank banker and the PAC’s largest funder, also donated $2,600 to Spencer’s campaign.
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed came in second with $166,906, with at least 92% ($153,500) of that coming from 71 contributions of $1,000 or more. Sixteen of those donations came from outside the state of Missouri and 38 came from addresses outside city limits but within Missouri. Those 54 contributions accounted for $117,900 — or about 70% of his total campaign fund.
David Sweeney donated $1,000 to Reed’s campaign. Sweeney is the former chief legal counsel for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and an attorney for Lewis Rice. Additionally, he is a lobbyist for Persistent Surveillance Systems, the company that would operate the city’s “spy planes” if the bill passes Friday. Sweeny also lobbied on behalf of Macquarie Infrastructure Fund, which submitted a bid in the airport privatization bid solicitation in 2019.
Among the 37 who donated $2,600 to Reed are: Icon Mechanical, a full-service mechanical contractor based in Granite City; Indiana-based Vasey Aviation Group, who previously applied to lease St. Louis Lambert International Airport; The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; and The Carpenters Union.
One of Vasey Aviation Group’s project managers also donated $2,600.
Jack Pohrer and Gary Pohrer, co-chairs of The St. Louis Parking Company, donated $2,600 each.
The CEO and two other executives from Clayco Inc., a construction engineering company, also donated $2,600 each.
Clayco CEO Bob Clark worked with private-equity firm Oaktree Capital in its effort to privatize St. Louis Lambert International Airport, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.
St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones
In third place is St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones, who raised $155,647, with 44.5% of those funds coming from 43 individual contributions of $1,000 or more. Of those 43 donations, 27 were from outside St. Louis city limits, and two of those were from outside the state of Missouri — one in California and one in New York.
Jones by far received the most individual donations, with over 750 separate contributions reported. More than 550 of those contributions were for $50 or less; at least 290 of those contributions were under $20 each — with one at just $3.
She received $31,200 from 12 contributions of $2,600. Among those on that list are Donald McNutt, CEO of Midwest Petroleum; Jamala Rogers, Organization for Black Struggle executive director; and John Beuerlein, a retired Edward Jones general partner.
The International Association of Firefighters also donated $2,600 to Jones’ campaign. And, like Spencer, the Sheet Metal Workers International Association also donated $1,000 to Jones.
The NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri PAC, a pro-choice organiazation, publicly endorsed Jones and has donated $80 to her campaign. The Service Employees International Union Missouri State Council endorsed Jones on Jan. 28 but is not listed as a campaign contributor in the reports filed.
Business executive Andrew Jones
Business executive Andrew Jones raised $11,100, including a $10,000 personal loan he made to his own campaign.
Daniel Powell, a Southwest Airlines pilot, donated $250 to Andrew Jones’ campaign. Six people donated $100 each, they are: Winfield Scott, owner of Carr Tax Service; Shelia Jones, Ameren Key Account Executive; Kristyn Bryant, Express Scripts executive assistant; John DeSpain; Pianki Nefakara, retired Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resident; Mary Ellen Barringer, independent consultant with Arbon; and Robert Palmer, resident of San Antonio, Texas.
Andrew Jones also reported receiving $150 in donations each totaling $100 or less.