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Judicial campaign costs a bundle Charter and Purdy have collected nearly $60,000 so far in the race By Dani Dodge Mail Tribune Joe Charter and Bill Purdy together have collected more than $56,000 in their bids to become Jackson County Circuit Court judge. The attorneys collected roughly the same amount, $12,000, in the most recent financial reporting period, April 5 to May 5. But a third of Charter�s funds came from loans and almost half the money was from his own law firm. Purdy�s funds came entirely from cash donations, including $5,000 from his own checkbook. Through the campaign, Purdy has collected a total of $25,517 in contributions and Charter a total of $31,261. Charter has spent $30,092 since the beginning of the campaign and Purdy $21,065. Write-in candidate Walt Nunley filed a statement with the state saying he will not collect or spend more than $2,000 on his bid for the office. Nunley is not on the ballot after being disqualified as a candidate because he is older than the mandatory retirement age for judges. Charter, Purdy and Nunley are vying for a new Circuit Court judge position created to ease crowding in Jackson County�s courts. Charter and Purdy filed their second pre-election contribution and expenditure reports on Thursday. In terms of money, the race is approaching the high-profile high-dollar judicial matchup between former state Rep. Ron Grensky and Judge Phil Arnold in 1998. That race was believed to have been the most expensive in Jackson County. By the second pre-election reporting period in the Grensky/Arnold matchup, the candidates had collected $61,000. And like Charter, the candidates had loaned their campaigns money from their own pockets. In the end, Grensky and Arnold had collected $81,000 and spent much more than that. "I wouldn�t have guessed (the Purdy/Charter race) would be as high profile as it�s been," Grensky said. "But they are both working very hard." Grensky pointed out that this race, unlike his, is a mail-in election, which means the campaigning has to go on heavily for nearly three weeks between the time ballots go out and May 21. "I can see they may collect and spend another $10,000 each before the race is over," Grensky said. In this campaign financial reporting period, Charter received 14 donations over $99, the largest $6,259 from his law firm, J.M. Charter and Associates. Charter received a $500 donation from Medford attorney Eugene Anderson. He spent $5,352 on wages for campaign staff and $5,291 on printing and mailing brochures. Although his cash balance at the end of the reporting period was $1,168, his campaign is running an overall deficit of $24,250 due to outstanding personal expenditures, loans and unpaid accounts. Purdy received 35 donations of more than $99 in this reporting period, the largest from his own pocket. He also got a $750 donation from the owner of a public relations firm and four $500 donations from a Medford attorney, a Medford retiree, a Central Point construction company owner and his own law firm. Purdy spent $3,065 on radio ads and $1,103 on brochures. Purdy has no outstanding loans and only $34 in outstanding personal expenses. His cash balance at the end of the reporting period was $4,451. Here are contributions and expenses the candidates reported : Joe Charter Contributions this period: $12,042 Cumulative contributions: $31,261 Expenditures this period: $11,748 Cumulative expenditures: $30,092 Ending cash balance: $1,168 Ending financial deficit: $24,250 Contributions of more than $99 this period: Ashland lawyer Lloyd Matthew Haines, $200; Ashland day spa owner Wade McQueen, $100; Ashland chiropractor John Kalb, $100; Medford attorney Eugene Anderson, $500; Ashland attorney Joe Charter, $4,000 loan; Medford legal assistant Kelly McKee, $100 (in kind); Medford landscaping firm Nice �N� Easy, $100; Medford lawyer Matthew Fawcett, $100; Ashland computer consultant Paul Copeland, $150; Medford retiree Sidney Ainsworth, $100; Medford-based J.M. Charter & Associates law firm, $6,259 (in kind); Ashland retiree R.S. Riley, $100; Ashland resident (unspecified occupation) Mignon Mead-Shikaly, $100; Ashland real estate investor Will Hilligoss, $198 (in kind). Bill Purdy Contributions this period: $12,575 (no in-kind, no loans) Cumulative contributions: $25,517 Expenditures this period: $14,554 Cumulative expenditures: $21,065 Outstanding personal expenditures: $34 Ending cash balance: $4,451 Ending financial balance: $4,417 Contributions of more than $99 this period: Portland attorney James R. Moore, $100; Medford stockbroker Fitzhugh Brewer, $400; Medford retiree James W. McKee, $100; Medford homemaker Mary Jo Bergstrom, $100; Central Point CPA David Hyatt, $200; Portland attorney Jeffrey Batchelor, $100; Medford retiree Richard Hensley, $100; Medford Bear Creek Corp. CEO William Williams, $300; Medford probate administrator Judy Lininger, $350; Sunriver retiree John Weisel, $100; Medford retiree Thomas Bolton, $100; Medford attorney Debra Lee, $500; Medford public relations firm owner William Maentz, $750; Medford-based Foster, Purdy, Allan Peterson & Dahlin legal firm, $500; Medford attorney R. Ray Heysell, $100; Medford retiree David Boulton, $100; Medford stockbroker Robert Hutchins, $250; Medford homemaker Marilyn Hutchins, $250; Central Point attorney Robert Hamilton, $150; Prospect homemaker Joann Parker, $100; Medford retiree Willard Chinn, $100; Medford retiree James M. Wright, $500; Central Point construction company executive Robert Vaughn, $500; Medford attorney Bernard Moore, $100; Central Point mobile home park owner John MacDiarmid, $100; Medford retiree C.E. Pedersen, $100; Ashland-based Adroit Construction Co., $200; Medford attorney William "Bill" Purdy, $5,000; Medford attorney Karan Allan, $100; Central Point retiree James Post, $100; Medford retiree Robert Heffernan Jr., $200; Grants Pass real estate investor Alvin Spears, $200; Medford financial adviser Mark Eisenstein, $100. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2002 Mail Tribune, Inc.