I added the latest campaign contributions data to my database and I thought I would share some of the data with you today.

Total raised by all candidates: $167,887.88
Total raised by the incumbents: $92,603.00 (55.16%)
Total contributors in this cycle: 346
Of these, three contributions were made by a political PAC. One was the El Paso Municipal Police PAC which contributed $1,500 to the Claudia Ordaz campaign. The HCA Texas Good Government Fund contributed $1,000 to the Bertha Gallardo campaign. Gallardo is the Public Affairs officer for Las Palmas del Sol Healthcare. The HCA Texas Good Government Fund is HCA Healthcare’s PAC for governmental relations. A medical practice, the Rio Grande Surgeons also contributed $1,000 to Bertha Gallardo’s campaign.

The HNTB Holding PAC made two contributions of $500 each to Claudia Ordaz and Cortney Niland. HNTB Holding is a Kansas City based architecture and engineering firm with an office in El Paso.

Average contributions per contributor: $377.03 (Total contributions divided by the total contributions)

Former and current politicians who contributed:

1. Eddie Holguin contributed $149 to the Michael Pickett campaign.
2. Joe Moody contributed $500 to Cortney Niland.
3. Ann Morgan Lilly contributed $250 to Claudia Ordaz and gave an in-kind contribution worth $21.00 to the Bertha Gallardo campaign.
4. Steve Ortega contributed $500 to Cortney Niland.
5. Joe Pickett contributed $250 from his political campaign funds to Claudia Ordaz.
6. Eliot Shapleigh contributed $500 to Albert Weisenberger.

Total contributions by El Paso zip codes:
79901 $12,196.80 (21 individual contributors)
79902 $25,641.60 (61 individual contributors)
79903 $174.48 (1 individual contributor)
79904 $1,300.00 (2 individual contributors)
79905 $3,500.00 (3 individual contributors)
79907 $649.00 (2 individual contributors)
79912 $49,855.56 (102 individual contributors)
79913 $7,450.00 (3 individual contributors)
79915 $845.00 (5 individual contributors)
79922 $18,639.25 (41 individual contributors)
79923 $500.00 (2 individual contributors)
79924 $600.00 (2 individual contributors)
79925 $8,310.00 (11 individual contributors)
79928 $8,300.00 (3 individual contributors)
79930 $2,673.22 (9 individual contributors)
79932 $8,596.80 (21 individual contributors)
79935 $7,340.70 (7 individual contributors)
79936 $2,531.80 (18 individual contributors)
79938 $200.00 (2 individual contributors)
79940 $500.00 (1 individual contributor)
79941 $100.00 (1 individual contributor)
79950 $250.00 (1 individual contributor)

It is important to remember that some contributors use a PO Box or a business address.

The twenty largest contributors:
1. Stanley P. Jobe [79928] $8,000 (Weisenberger, Noe, Ordaz & Niland $2,000 each)
2. Dan Longoria [79912] $5,150 (two billboards to Niland)
3. Woody L. & Gale Hunt [79913] $5,000 (Weisenberger, Svarzbein, Noe, Ordaz & Niland $1,000 each)
4. Jack Winton [79912] $5,000 (Gallardo)
5. Harold W. Hahn [79935] $3,970 (Svarzbein $970, Noe, Ordaz & Niland $1,000 each)
6. Adam & Dana Frank [79912] $3,000 (Svarzbein, Noe & Niland $1,000 each)
7. Richard Aguilar [79925] $2,500 (Svarzbein $500, Ordaz & Niland $1,000 each)
8. J.A. Cardwall [79905] $2,000 (Svarzbein & Niland $1,000 each)
9. E.C. Houghton, Jr. [79902] $2,000 (Ordaz & Niland $1,000 each)
10. Robert H. Hoy, Jr. [79922] $2,000 (Weisenberger $1,000 & Noe, Niland $500 each)
11. Joshua & Martha Hunt [79901] $2,000 (Niland & Ordaz $1,000 each)
12. Keeli & Mark Jernigan [79922] $2,000 (Niland)
13. Dennis Neesen [79932] $2,000 (Weisenberger & Niland $1,000 each)
14. Scott Schwartz [79912] $2,000 (Svarzbein)
15. Robert V. Wingo [79912] $2,000 (Svarzbein & Ordaz $500 each, Niland $1,000)
16. Richard Zamora [79935] $2,000 (Ordaz & Niland, $1,000 each)
17. Louise Alpern [79912] $1,941 (Svarzbein)
18. Richard J. Amstater [79922] $1,500 (Svarzbein, Ordaz & Niland $500 each)
19. El Paso Municipal Police Association [79901] $1,500 (Ordaz)
20. Miguel Fernandez [79902] $1,500 (Niland: $1,000 & Ordaz: $500)

Felons contributing to candidates:
1. Arthur C. Bieganowski contributed $100 to Peter Svarzbein. Bieganowski was convicted on ten counts of medical billing fraud in 2000. Arthur Bieganowski was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $23 million in restitution. Bieganowski’s brother, Victor who was a lawyer at the time, pleaded guilty to related charges.

2. Stanley P. Jobe was the largest campaign contributor this election cycle. Jobe contributed a total of $8,000 to four candidates. They are: Albert Weisenberger, Michiel Noe, Claudia Ordaz and Cortney Niland. Jobe gave each candidate $2,000. His $8,000 in total contributions was $3,000 more than Woody Hunt and Jack Winton’s total. Dan Longoria contributed two billboards to Cortney Niland’s campaign putting him in second place for total contributions. Longoria withdrew from the race shortly after the El Paso Times started to report on Longoria’s legal problems.

Stanly Jobe was convicted on conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud charges in 1994. President Clinton pardoned Jobe in 2001.

Interesting contributions:
1. Joshua Dagda reported $1,250 in in-kind contributions to himself for his website and logo design.
2. The Karlsruher’s contributed $500 to Claudia Ordaz and $1,000 to Cortney Niland. Eileen Karlsruher is the campaign treasurer for Richard Bonart.
3. Dan Longoria withdrew as a candidate shortly after the El Paso Times profiled legal issues involving Longoria. Longoria contributed two billboards, worth $5,150 to Cortney Niland.
4. Peter Svarzbien, a candidate for District 1 gave the Cortney Niland campaign $118.00.

Interesting expenses:

The Forma Group was paid $14,000, $7,000 each by Michiel Noe and Cortney Niland. There are three advertising spots on the Jaime Abeytia blog for city council races. One was purchased by Michiel Noe for $600 and the other was purchased by Cortney Niland for $300. There is another advertising spot on Abeytia’s blog for Peter Svarzbien but he did not report it on his financial report. Interestingly, Svarzbien requested a refund, which he reported on his financial report, from the Forma Group on the same day he paid them. It is possible that the Forma Group did not cancel the advertising spot for Svarzbien. In total, according to the reports, Abeytia was paid $900.00.

Susie Byrd’s consulting company was paid $1,000 by Richard Bonart’s campaign. Stanton Street, owned by the spouse of Beto O’Rourke was paid by Richard Bonart as well. David Karlsruher’s mother is the campaign treasurer for Bonart.

In the upcoming candidate profiles I will be detailing the contributions to each of the candidates including the largest contributors, amounts raised by zip code and ranking within their races.