by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Second quarter campaign reports from 2003 election candidates are due today. They must either be filed personally in the Supervisor of Elections Office today or postmarked by 5 p.m.
The big question this quarter is: Can Gate Petroleum executive John Peyton maintain the momentum he generated during the first reporting quarter and can the other candidates make up some ground financially?
The answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ If early reports are accurate, Peyton is once again the top fund raiser. Peyton campaign manager Mike Hightower wouldn’t discuss an exact figure, but did say campaign organizers entered the quarter with a financial goal and that goal was met.
“We will exceed expectations and those expectations were $175,000,” said Hightower. Last quarter, Peyton reported almost half a million dollars in campaign contributions, a figure that by far exceeded the other candidates.
Former Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and Super Bowl chief Mike Weinstein also raised over $100,000 last quarter.
“The figure will be between $120,000 and $130,000,” said a source close to Weinstein’s camp. Last quarter, Weinstein reeled in $90,125, giving him $236,155 in total contributions heading into the second reporting quarter of 2002.
Former mayor Tommy Hazouri has already filed his report and announced Tuesday that he raised $148,260 last quarter. Hazouri is the only big-name Democrat to enter the race thus far. His treasurer, Ernie Isaac, said Hazouri is pleased with progress so far.
“We have had an excellent first quarter and are on target to meet our financial goals,” said Isaac. “We are confident that we will have the resources for Tommy to run an outstanding campaign that will allow him to communicate his vision for the future of our city. This is an indication of the broad base of support that Tommy Hazouri has in our community.”
Cynthia Brust, spokesperson for City Council member and mayoral candidate Ginger Soud, said Soud’s treasurer was still tabulating the candidate’s contributions and wouldn’t be able to release any figures until today when the Soud report is filed. Last quarter Soud raised almost $69,000 giving her a total of $170,908.
Council member Alberta Hipps will also file today. Last quarter, Hipps raised $56,000, giving her $81,587. This quarter will push Hipps’s total to just over $94,000.
“I think it needs to be at a higher number,” said Hipps, “and we need to work on that.”