Loveland - October 22, 2011
All candidates running for City Council were required to report campaign contributions and expenditures 14 days before the election.
Given the early release of the ballots some candidates chose to spend most of their campaign funds in early October. However, the
Larimer County Clerk reports receiving only 1,800 ballots so far from the voters inside the City of Loveland. Ft. Collins, on the other
hand, received a record number of ballots already.
This means all the seats of the Loveland Council election are still up for grabs as the vast majority of registered voters in Loveland have
not yet returned their ballots. Below is a list of the candidates and review of their contributors and some expenditures. As an overview,
former Councilman Dave Clark raised $2,000 from mostly out of town lobbyists, attorneys and other special interest while a number of
the other candidates raised little to no funds.
By clicking the candidates name you can see the access the campaign finance filing described in the story. Please feel free to add
anything we missed, make corrections or comments on our
Mayor
Cecil Gutierrez
Running unopposed for re-election as Mayor, Cecil Gutierrez reported only $150 in contributions for the period between 10/6/2011 to
10/16/2011. A hundred dollars from artist Mel Schockner and $55 from Irene Fortune who is retired.
Ward 1
Chauncey Taylor
Taylor reported receiving 4 contributions of $100 each. Among his contributors is Doug Erion, President of the Erion Foundation, a
prominent and longtime philanthropist and real estate investor in Loveland who recently wrote a letter to the Loveland Reporter-Herald
supporting the school mill levy override named Referred Measure 3A. Francis Gariepy, a CPA from Littleton who also contributed to
Dave Clark's campaign along with Donald and Patricia Edwards of Loveland who each contributed $100 to Taylor’s campaign.
Rober Molloy
Molloy reported receiving only $155 for the reporting period between 10/10/2011 to 10/17/2011. He began the reporting period with
$115 on hand and ended the period with $245.
Molloy, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Ward 1 in a special election two years ago to replace Cecil Gutierrez, is now considered
more serious candidate this time around and has mounted a formidable campaign by walking door to door and reaching out to voters.
Endorsed by the Loveland Reporter Herald, Molloy’s campaign is receiving considerably more attention as well from the media.
Molloy reported a $100 contribution from Irene Fortune who also contributed to Mayor Gutierrez’s campaign. In addition, Molloy
reported a $25 contribution from a Loveland “homemaker” named Laura Chris Bailey.
Mike Shoonover
Shoonover’s report filed with the City Clerk shows he has $475 on hand but received no contributions during this reporting period.
WARD 2
Carol Johnson
Johnson reported having $1,224 on hand at the beginning of the period but ended it with only $429.
Johnson's campaign received $805 during this reporting period. Johnson’s report shows that she contributed $490 to herself and
received smaller contributions from five other people. Notables among her other contributors is Loveland Insurance Agent Bob Snyder
who ran for Loveland City Council four years ago against Joan Shaffer and lost who is also contributing to Dave Clark's campaign.
Among the other contributors are two attorneys, one from Denver and the other from Littleton and a commercial broker from Loveland.
Among the vendors Johnson reports using is “VistaPrints” a Dutch company that provides pricey printing of business cards, bumper
stickers and campaign signs you can design and order online. VistaPrints maintains a publishing facility in Lexington, Massachusetts to
fill orders coming from customers in the United States. This expenditure certainly raises the question why a vocal booster for people
doing business in Loveland is using a Dutch company to print her campaign materials.
Phil Farley
Farley reporting having $906 at the beginning of the reporting period and raising $555 between 10/10/2011 and 10/18/2011. Most of
Farley’s contributions were received on 10/14/2011 as the result of an organized fundraiser where each participant was asked to
contribute $50. Most of the contributors are reported to be retired couples living in Loveland.
Ward 3
Steve Weber
Weber reported no contributions during the previous reporting period (8/3/2011 to 10/7/2011) and began and ended that reporting period
with zero campaign funds. No report appears to have been filed for the 14 days before the election deadline on behalf of Weber’s
campaign so only the previous report is available.
Michelle Jacobs
Jacobs’ campaign finance report showed no contributions during the reporting period but her campaign began the period with over
$500. Jacob’s campaign spent $378 to print door hangers using a local company and ended the period with $190 on hand after that
expenditure. This is not atypical as most candidates are no longer fundraising but instead focused on voter contact as Jocob's
expenditure indicate.
John Fogle
For the period beginning 10/10/2011 Fogle’s campaign filing shows he began the period with a deficit of $703 and ended with a surplus
of $1,634 having raised over $3,000 during the reporting period. While the report has been revised apparently after the deadline, he
hasn't reported any loans so the deficit in the beginning likely reflects an obligation to spend money by the campaign versus an actual
expenditure.
Fogle’s campaign began with a bumpy start after he attended the Larimer County Lincoln Day Dinner (an annual fundraising event) with
former State House Representative Jim Welker. According to a number of people at the event, Welker introduced Fogle as both a friend
and great “Republican” running for Loveland City Council. After attending yet another Republican event seeking votes it was disclosed
that Fogle was indeed not registered as a Republican as people believed but had recently switched party affiliation from Democrat
"unaffiliated."
Curiously, a number of senior Republicans were upset at the publication of Fogle’s true voter registration by LovelandPolitics.
According to campaign finance statements filed with the City Clerk, among Fogle’s contributors are Stanley and Kathy Matsunaka. Stan
Matsunaka was the Democrat candidate for U.S. Congress from Northern Colorado and previously served in the State Legislature. No
signs of contributions by Republican Congressman Cory Gardner or his Republican predecessors Marilyn Musgrave or Bob Schaffer yet
to Fogle’s council campaign.
A former car dealer by profession, Fogle’s campaign contributions reflect a number of contributors also from the same business. Joe
Gebhardt of Gebhardt Chevrolet, Rex King who owns the Chevrolet dealership in Greeley and other professionals from the auto sales
business contributed each $100 to his campaign.
WARD 4
John Buck
Buck’s campaign showed the largest number of small dollar contributors including eight contributions under $20. The only $100
contribution was reported as coming from Harold and Kathryn Rogers of Liquor Max of Loveland. Other reported contributors include
employees and/or owners of a building supply company, home consultants and Ben Aztie of Uncle Bennies. (Editor Note: Uncle Bennies
is a popular home supply store in south Loveland selling used home improvement materials).
Buck’s campaign filing showed $230 on hand 10/11/2011 and ended the period on 10/18/2011 with $398.
Dave Clark
Former Loveland Councilman Dave Clark reported raising $2,000 for the reporting period between 10/10/2011 and 10/18/2011.
Clark’s contributors’ list reads like a publication of Who’s Who when it comes to lobbying the City of Loveland. Ft. Collins attorney
Lucia A. Liley who frequently represents McWhinney and other large developers before the Loveland City Council along with Denver
attorney Alan Pogue each contributed the maximum $105 to Clark’s campaign. Pogue’s employer is curiously listed as “conference
attorney” though in correspondence with the City of Loveland last year Pogue used the letterhead of Denver law firm “Icenogle, Norton,
Smith, Gilida & Pogue.” Pogue is the attorney who lobbied Loveland’s City Council last year on behalf of the Centerra Metro District to
amend their agreement with the city to extend the life of the Metro District beyond the previously agreed 25 years.
David Robinson also contributed $105 to Clark’s campaign and listed his employer as the Irvine, California law Enterprise Counsel
Group. It is possible Pogue is now working for the same law firm in California as McWhinney has a number of developments in
Southern California as well.
In addition to Liley and Pogue, Clark received no less than five maximum contributions from attorneys or employees of the multi-national
Denver based law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Peggy Dowswell, CFO of the Pinnacle Group in Ft. Collins, is also listed
among Clark’s contributors. The Pinnacle Group organizes Metro Districts for McWhinney and other developers and has also frequently
appeared for the Loveland City Council on behalf of clients during Clark’s previous term in office.
Some 90% of Clark’s contributions appear to be from outside Loveland and mostly from special interest groups that periodically have
business before the city. Among the very few Loveland contributors is insurance salesman Bob Schaffer who ran for council but lost
and Hamid Eslan, owner of the Black Steer in Loveland, who received over $100,000 in business incentives and fee waivers from the
Loveland City Council when developing the La Quinta Inn motel and event center on west Highway 34 in Loveland.
Ralph Trenary
The retired National Guard Colonel reported having $3,657 on hand on 10/10/2011 and still $3,761 on hand by 10/18/2011.
Unlike some other candidates who have spent most of their contributions once the ballots were mailed to voters in early October,
Trenary appears to be saving his money by spending only $26 for phone calls during this recent reporting period. Trenary also reported
only raising $130 in the same period.
Trenary’s two contributors for the reporting period are both from Loveland. Trenary received a $100 from Ray Steele Sr. of Friendly
Pawn of Loveland and a $30 contribution from David Lee who works for Hitachi Metal.
All candidates running for City Council were required to report campaign contributions and expenditures 14 days before the election.
Given the early release of the ballots some candidates chose to spend most of their campaign funds in early October. However, the
Larimer County Clerk reports receiving only 1,800 ballots so far from the voters inside the City of Loveland. Ft. Collins, on the other
hand, received a record number of ballots already.
This means all the seats of the Loveland Council election are still up for grabs as the vast majority of registered voters in Loveland have
not yet returned their ballots. Below is a list of the candidates and review of their contributors and some expenditures. As an overview,
former Councilman Dave Clark raised $2,000 from mostly out of town lobbyists, attorneys and other special interest while a number of
the other candidates raised little to no funds.
By clicking the candidates name you can see the access the campaign finance filing described in the story. Please feel free to add
anything we missed, make corrections or comments on our
Mayor
Cecil Gutierrez
Running unopposed for re-election as Mayor, Cecil Gutierrez reported only $150 in contributions for the period between 10/6/2011 to
10/16/2011. A hundred dollars from artist Mel Schockner and $55 from Irene Fortune who is retired.
Ward 1
Chauncey Taylor
Taylor reported receiving 4 contributions of $100 each. Among his contributors is Doug Erion, President of the Erion Foundation, a
prominent and longtime philanthropist and real estate investor in Loveland who recently wrote a letter to the Loveland Reporter-Herald
supporting the school mill levy override named Referred Measure 3A. Francis Gariepy, a CPA from Littleton who also contributed to
Dave Clark's campaign along with Donald and Patricia Edwards of Loveland who each contributed $100 to Taylor’s campaign.
Rober Molloy
Molloy reported receiving only $155 for the reporting period between 10/10/2011 to 10/17/2011. He began the reporting period with
$115 on hand and ended the period with $245.
Molloy, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Ward 1 in a special election two years ago to replace Cecil Gutierrez, is now considered
more serious candidate this time around and has mounted a formidable campaign by walking door to door and reaching out to voters.
Endorsed by the Loveland Reporter Herald, Molloy’s campaign is receiving considerably more attention as well from the media.
Molloy reported a $100 contribution from Irene Fortune who also contributed to Mayor Gutierrez’s campaign. In addition, Molloy
reported a $25 contribution from a Loveland “homemaker” named Laura Chris Bailey.
Mike Shoonover
Shoonover’s report filed with the City Clerk shows he has $475 on hand but received no contributions during this reporting period.
WARD 2
Carol Johnson
Johnson reported having $1,224 on hand at the beginning of the period but ended it with only $429.
Johnson's campaign received $805 during this reporting period. Johnson’s report shows that she contributed $490 to herself and
received smaller contributions from five other people. Notables among her other contributors is Loveland Insurance Agent Bob Snyder
who ran for Loveland City Council four years ago against Joan Shaffer and lost who is also contributing to Dave Clark's campaign.
Among the other contributors are two attorneys, one from Denver and the other from Littleton and a commercial broker from Loveland.
Among the vendors Johnson reports using is “VistaPrints” a Dutch company that provides pricey printing of business cards, bumper
stickers and campaign signs you can design and order online. VistaPrints maintains a publishing facility in Lexington, Massachusetts to
fill orders coming from customers in the United States. This expenditure certainly raises the question why a vocal booster for people
doing business in Loveland is using a Dutch company to print her campaign materials.
Phil Farley
Farley reporting having $906 at the beginning of the reporting period and raising $555 between 10/10/2011 and 10/18/2011. Most of
Farley’s contributions were received on 10/14/2011 as the result of an organized fundraiser where each participant was asked to
contribute $50. Most of the contributors are reported to be retired couples living in Loveland.
Ward 3
Steve Weber
Weber reported no contributions during the previous reporting period (8/3/2011 to 10/7/2011) and began and ended that reporting period
with zero campaign funds. No report appears to have been filed for the 14 days before the election deadline on behalf of Weber’s
campaign so only the previous report is available.
Michelle Jacobs
Jacobs’ campaign finance report showed no contributions during the reporting period but her campaign began the period with over
$500. Jacob’s campaign spent $378 to print door hangers using a local company and ended the period with $190 on hand after that
expenditure. This is not atypical as most candidates are no longer fundraising but instead focused on voter contact as Jocob's
expenditure indicate.
John Fogle
For the period beginning 10/10/2011 Fogle’s campaign filing shows he began the period with a deficit of $703 and ended with a surplus
of $1,634 having raised over $3,000 during the reporting period. While the report has been revised apparently after the deadline, he
hasn't reported any loans so the deficit in the beginning likely reflects an obligation to spend money by the campaign versus an actual
expenditure.
Fogle’s campaign began with a bumpy start after he attended the Larimer County Lincoln Day Dinner (an annual fundraising event) with
former State House Representative Jim Welker. According to a number of people at the event, Welker introduced Fogle as both a friend
and great “Republican” running for Loveland City Council. After attending yet another Republican event seeking votes it was disclosed
that Fogle was indeed not registered as a Republican as people believed but had recently switched party affiliation from Democrat
"unaffiliated."
Curiously, a number of senior Republicans were upset at the publication of Fogle’s true voter registration by LovelandPolitics.
According to campaign finance statements filed with the City Clerk, among Fogle’s contributors are Stanley and Kathy Matsunaka. Stan
Matsunaka was the Democrat candidate for U.S. Congress from Northern Colorado and previously served in the State Legislature. No
signs of contributions by Republican Congressman Cory Gardner or his Republican predecessors Marilyn Musgrave or Bob Schaffer yet
to Fogle’s council campaign.
A former car dealer by profession, Fogle’s campaign contributions reflect a number of contributors also from the same business. Joe
Gebhardt of Gebhardt Chevrolet, Rex King who owns the Chevrolet dealership in Greeley and other professionals from the auto sales
business contributed each $100 to his campaign.
WARD 4
John Buck
Buck’s campaign showed the largest number of small dollar contributors including eight contributions under $20. The only $100
contribution was reported as coming from Harold and Kathryn Rogers of Liquor Max of Loveland. Other reported contributors include
employees and/or owners of a building supply company, home consultants and Ben Aztie of Uncle Bennies. (Editor Note: Uncle Bennies
is a popular home supply store in south Loveland selling used home improvement materials).
Buck’s campaign filing showed $230 on hand 10/11/2011 and ended the period on 10/18/2011 with $398.
Dave Clark
Former Loveland Councilman Dave Clark reported raising $2,000 for the reporting period between 10/10/2011 and 10/18/2011.
Clark’s contributors’ list reads like a publication of Who’s Who when it comes to lobbying the City of Loveland. Ft. Collins attorney
Lucia A. Liley who frequently represents McWhinney and other large developers before the Loveland City Council along with Denver
attorney Alan Pogue each contributed the maximum $105 to Clark’s campaign. Pogue’s employer is curiously listed as “conference
attorney” though in correspondence with the City of Loveland last year Pogue used the letterhead of Denver law firm “Icenogle, Norton,
Smith, Gilida & Pogue.” Pogue is the attorney who lobbied Loveland’s City Council last year on behalf of the Centerra Metro District to
amend their agreement with the city to extend the life of the Metro District beyond the previously agreed 25 years.
David Robinson also contributed $105 to Clark’s campaign and listed his employer as the Irvine, California law Enterprise Counsel
Group. It is possible Pogue is now working for the same law firm in California as McWhinney has a number of developments in
Southern California as well.
In addition to Liley and Pogue, Clark received no less than five maximum contributions from attorneys or employees of the multi-national
Denver based law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Peggy Dowswell, CFO of the Pinnacle Group in Ft. Collins, is also listed
among Clark’s contributors. The Pinnacle Group organizes Metro Districts for McWhinney and other developers and has also frequently
appeared for the Loveland City Council on behalf of clients during Clark’s previous term in office.
Some 90% of Clark’s contributions appear to be from outside Loveland and mostly from special interest groups that periodically have
business before the city. Among the very few Loveland contributors is insurance salesman Bob Schaffer who ran for council but lost
and Hamid Eslan, owner of the Black Steer in Loveland, who received over $100,000 in business incentives and fee waivers from the
Loveland City Council when developing the La Quinta Inn motel and event center on west Highway 34 in Loveland.
Ralph Trenary
The retired National Guard Colonel reported having $3,657 on hand on 10/10/2011 and still $3,761 on hand by 10/18/2011.
Unlike some other candidates who have spent most of their contributions once the ballots were mailed to voters in early October,
Trenary appears to be saving his money by spending only $26 for phone calls during this recent reporting period. Trenary also reported
only raising $130 in the same period.
Trenary’s two contributors for the reporting period are both from Loveland. Trenary received a $100 from Ray Steele Sr. of Friendly
Pawn of Loveland and a $30 contribution from David Lee who works for Hitachi Metal.
| Follow The Money October 18, Campaign Finance Filings Reveal Lots About Some Council Candidates |
LovelandPolitics.com
