Mayor Alvin Brown raised more money than his chief challenger in September, the first time in four months he outpaced Lenny Curry on fundraising for the mayor’s seat in 2015.
Brown raised $101,750 in September, $85,000 of which came through his “Taking Jacksonville to the Next Level” political action committee. Locally, he collected another $16,750, according to reports filed Friday.
Curry raised $63,153 for the month of September, $48,200 of which came from his “Together for a Greater Jacksonville” state committee. The state reporting period included the first three days of October, in which Curry raised $26,000. Combined that would push his total to $89,153. At the local level, he raised $14,953 for September.
Marty Fiorentino, Curry’s campaign finance chair, said he was not concerned about Brown outraising Curry for the month. He said after the historic start the campaign had, there was an expected leveling off and momentum is continuing into the holiday season with events.
“We’re looking forward to a good October,” he said.
Dave Beattie, who is working with Brown on his campaign, said the mayor has “first and foremost” been focused on pension reform and the recent budget.
Both had several key contributors. For Brown, there were $10,000 donations from Ernie Isaac Electrical Co., Rok Ind LLC and Leonard Riggio. There also was a $5,000 pledge from Comcast and $2,500 from former NBA Commissioner David Stern. The mayor had most of his state money come in on Sept. 23, a day he partly spent in New York at a high-end fundraiser while City Council finished the city budget.
Among Curry’s key contributors were local businessmen Peter Rummell and Tom Petway, along with a Committee for a Stronger Florida state committee and Cross Creek Farm LLC. Each donated $10,000.
To date, Brown still leads the overall money race with about $1.6 million to Curry’s $1.09 million.
City Council member Bill Bishop also is vying for the position and raised $4,785 in September, pushing his total to just over $54,000.
(Note: In an earlier version of this story, Curry’s overall total was incorrect.)
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