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Anhorn far outpaces Wheeler for campaign cash Gary Wheeler Wednesday Sep 28, 2016 at 3:47 PM Sep 28, 2016 at 6:02 PM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm Medford Mayor Gary Wheeler has raised practically nothing for his re-election bid, while his opponent, John Anhorn, has hauled in almost $32,000. According to information from the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, Wheeler hasn't reached the $750 threshold required to file. Anhorn has spent almost $8,000, mostly on advertising, out of the $31,884 he's received from contributions. "I'm going to keep it under the $750 limit," Wheeler said. "I'll do a lot of personal things to reach out to the community. I look at this as somewhat of a referendum on my terms as mayor." Anhorn, a retired banker, said he has a team of about a half-dozen people working on his campaign. "We're working together to gather this money," he said, adding that he's close to the dollar amount he needs to run an effective campaign, which will include lawn signs, mailers and advertising. Wheeler, a local optometrist who has been mayor since 2004, said he's spent considerable money on previous elections and thinks he's doing everything required to run an effective campaign. "I haven't asked anybody and haven't sought any contributions," he said. "It's been a great 12 years, and I'm grateful to the citizens who put me in this position." Wheeler appointed Anhorn to an ad hoc committee that helped the City Council find candidates for the city manager position. Wheeler later took the unprecedented step during his time in office of vetoing the council's decision to hire Medford resident Rob Patridge as city manager. Even though he appointed Anhorn, Wheeler said he doesn't know Anhorn socially, though he's aware of his professional career. Anhorn, who has been on many local boards, was a founder, CEO and chairman of PremierWest Bank, which later was acquired by AmericanWest Bank. Wheeler has served on numerous local boards and was one of the major proponents for founding the Medford Urban Renewal Agency. Anhorn stepped into the race after getting a taste for politics while working on the ad hoc committee. He said he was under the impression that Wheeler wasn't going to run for re-election. "I hadn't made up my mind at that point," said Wheeler. Anhorn has received $9,000 from various members of the St. Laurent family, with whom he has worked over the years in the banking industry. Two of the family members — George C. and William C. St. Laurent — are out-of-state investors, though the family owns a ranch near Eagle Point. Karen DeBoer, whose husband, Sid, has run Lithia Motors, sent a $2,500 contribution to the Anhorn campaign. Anhorn said he got into the race because he saw more opportunities for Medford to work with the county and other municipalities on regional issues. "I have the leadership ability to bring all that together," he said. Wheeler said he stands by his record on the council, including many tough decisions and hard-fought negotiations. "I subscribe to the Ronald Reagan theory, where you do a lot of things around town even if you don't get the credit," he said. — Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.