Following the Money 30 Days Out

Candidates file campaign finance reports 30 days before elections. For the City of Richardson, that means candidates for City Council, including mayor, should have filed reports by now. In this post, I'll focus on the main draw on the card, the mayor's race between Bob Dubey and Janet DePuy. We'll look at the other races (and the Richardson ISD) later.

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Bob Dubey's statement shows that he's raised $21,697.55. Janet DePuy's statement shows she's raised $11,350.00. Those numbers are far from the numbers seen in prior elections. At this time in 2013, the two mayoral candidates had raised $73,000 (Amir Omar) and $45,000 (Laura Maczka). And in the Richardson ISD board of trustees election in 2022, one candidate alone (Sherry Clemens) had raised $30,242. That's not counting PAC money raised in support of Clemens's campaign. In contrast to both of those contests, this year's mayor's race is less controversial and therefore maybe less flush in campaign cash.

Just as interesting as the money totals is how Bob Dubey's numbers don't add up. That's right. Maybe something's missing. Dubey lists $21,697.55 in contributions, but the details listed in Schedule A1 (Monetary Political Contributions) only add up to $16,965.00. There are thousands of dollars in contributions unaccounted for. Also, Dubey lists $13,859.47 in political expenditures, none of which is detailed. He's missing Schedule F1 (Political Expenditures Made From Political Contributions). This may be a filing mistake. Or it might signal something nefarious at work. In any case, Dubey has some explaining to do. At the very least, it creates doubt about Dubey's attention to detail, a critical trait you'd want in a mayor, whose most important responsibilities include passing a City budget. If he can't produce a complete and accurate campaign finance report, how can he be expected to oversee a much more complicated City budget?

Turning to just where those contributions are coming from, there are some interesting names. Janet DePuy lists three of note, Bill Ziegler, Charles Eisemann, and Gayla Von Ehr, names associated closely with the Richardson Coalition PAC. That PAC's endorsements have generally predicted winning candidates in prior Richardson elections. That PAC is split this year, as evidenced by the name of William Dalton, another person listed on the "Who We Are" page of the PAC, showing up on the list of donors to Bob Dubey. The Richardson Coalition PAC is rumored to be split on making an endorsement in the mayor's race, risking its influence in Richardson's elections.

Bob Dubey also lists contributions from former City Council members Mark Solomon and Kendall Hartley. Other familiar names also appear. J.S. Dunn donated to Dubey. Kristine Voelker donated to Janet DePuy. Four donors covered their bets, making identical contributions to both candidates.

Finally, Bob Dubey lists a campaign contribution from Jasmine Cafe. If the restaurant is a corporation, that could be a violation of Texas state law. "Corporations (including nonprofit corporations) and labor organizations may not make political contributions in connection with Texas and local elections." (Texas Ethics Commission). I don't know how Jasmine Cafe is registered with the state, and I am not a lawyer, so it's entirely possible there's no legal issue here, but it's another detail I'd like explained by Dubey.