Bartels leads Lake County Board 10th District GOP candidates in fundraising, records show
Of the three Republicans running for the Lake County Board District 10 seat, one has a commanding fundraising lead, state records show.
Chuck Bartels received $28,169 in campaign contributions during the last quarter of 2013, according to a disclosure report filed this month.
That dwarfed the $5,600 reported by Connie Shanahan and the $4,421 reported by Terri Voss, the two other GOP candidates in the race.
Bartels also has a long list of prominent local Republicans on his side, including current county commissioners and other political figures.
Bartels, Shanahan and Voss will face off in the March 18 Republican Party primary for the seat, which serves the Mundelein area. All three candidates live in Mundelein.
No Democratic candidate will be on the ballot.
The incumbent, longtime board member Diana O’Kelly, isn’t seeking re-election.
The race is one of the few contested county contests on the March 18 ballot and the only one with more than two candidates.
Local- or state-level candidates who raise or spend at least $3,000 must file quarterly financial disclosure reports with the state board of elections. They must also file individual reports for donations of $1,000 or more.
Donations of less than $150 do not need to be itemized.
The documents are public and viewable online at elections.state.il.us.
Bartels, a consultant, has never before run for public office. He formerly served as president of the Lake County Republican Federation, the fundraising arm of the local GOP.
Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, he reported $19,925 in itemized donations and $8,244 in non-itemized contributions or transfers, records show.
Notable backers included:
Ÿ Current Republican Federation President Larry Falbe, who gave $200.
Ÿ Waukegan attorney Patrick Salvi, who gave $250.
Ÿ Former Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood, who gave $250.
Bartels ended the year with more than $25,833 saved for the campaign.
Bartels said he needs more money than his opponents to run a campaign because his use of a wheelchair limits his door-to-door campaigning. The cash will pay for political mailers, he said, among other expenses.
In a questionnaire for the Daily Herald, Bartels also claimed endorsements from a variety of county officials, including board Chairman Aaron Lawlor, State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim, County Clerk Willard Helander and county board member Craig Taylor.
In subsequent interviews, all of those officials confirmed they’re backing Bartels in the race.
“I think it’s affirmation from them ... that I can do the job,” Bartels said in an interview.
Shanahan is a Fremont Township trustee and a former member of the Fremont Public Library District board. He reported $4,725 in itemized contributions and transfers but didn’t complete the line for non-itemized donations.
One of Shanahan’s largest donations came from Mundelein resident Barry MacLean, the CEO of the Maclean-Fogg manufacturing company. He gave $1,000.
After expenses, Shanahan ended the year with more than $4,341 saved.
Shanahan’s website lists former congressman and current radio host Joe Walsh as a supporter. Walsh’s radio producer confirmed the endorsement.
When asked about Bartels’ fundraising lead, Shanahan wasn’t concerned.
“I’ve got money coming in,” he said. “I will be competitive, when it comes to that.”
Bartel’s long list of supporters didn’t impress Shanahan, either.
“They are nice, but that doesn’t win the race always,” he said.
Voss is a Mundelein trustee and a retail consultant.
She reported $1,250 in itemized donations and $3,171 in checks that weren’t itemized.
Voss’ campaign disclosure form listed only seven itemized contributions, most from Mundelein businesses.
After expenses, she ended the period with more than $5,676 saved for the campaign.
In an interview, Voss said she doesn’t intend to run an expensive campaign.
“I’m running as a fiscal conservative,” she said. “I don’t see how you can spend an exorbitant amount of money on a race and say you’re a fiscal conservative.”
As for endorsements, Voss claimed to have the backing of some mayors and trustees but gave no specifics. Her campaign website doesn’t list any endorsements.
Voss said she deliberately isn’t name-dropping her supporters.
“I’m not laying all these names out,” she said. “I think our voters are intelligent and they want to make up their own minds.”
The 10th District includes parts of Mundelein, Round Lake Park, Wauconda, Hawthorn Woods and Long Grove.