A week ago, Early Returns said that the first major test of the mayor's race would be yesterday's filing of campaign expense reports. We said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl would raise more, but the question was whether his challenger, Councilman William Peduto, would raise enough to create an impression of competitiveness.
Well, the mayor thumped the councilman good.
Why? You can draw your own conclusions using the lists of $1,000-and-up contributors to each campaign below. But it says here that the mayor nearly monopolized the contributions from developers, law firms, contractors and engineering firms -- the cash constituents that place bets not so much based on whose policies they like, but on who is in office now, and who they think will win.
Mr. Peduto tried to mine that vein, but it didn't work. If he's going to compete on the airwaves, he's obviously going to have to find a different way to raise money. And maybe he has, pulling in the rare $50,000 check to a mayoral candidate from William Benter, who doesn't need city government's favor. (He runs a company that outsources medical transcription work to India.) The challenger has also tapped the local film industry, heretofore not a force in campaign finance.
Making matters worse for Mr. Peduto, the late Bob O'Connor's campaign fund contains $199,391, and the O'Connor family has endorsed the mayor. In fact, Corey O'Connor, Bob's son, is the mayor's campaign treasurer.
And Mr. Ravenstahl's biggest contributor, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, has $1.46 million in his campaign account and no obvious credible opponent. He could give more.
So here's who raised what from whom.
Mr. Ravenstahl's $1,000-and-up contributors, Jan. 1, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2006
Friends of Dan Onorato, Pittsburgh - $25,000
John Fitzmaurice, Liberty Pacific Media, outdoor advertising firm, Seattle - $12,500
Jeff Engelstad, Liberty Pacific Media, outdoor advertising firm, Seattle - $12,500
Matthew McTish, McTish, Kunkle & Associates, engineering firm, Orefield - $10,000
Merrill Stabile, Alco Parking, Pittsburgh - $10,000
James A. West, developer, Allison Park - $10,000
Evan Segal, Dormont Manufacturing, manufacturing, Export - $10,000
Mark Devlin, T.B. Devlin Funeral Home, Pittsburgh - $10,000
Ira Gumberg, J.J. Gumberg Co., developer, Pittsburgh - $10,000
Jack Piatt, Millcraft Industries, developer, Canonsburg - $10,000
Michael Baker PAC, engineering firm, Moon Township -- $8,950
Ross Aiello, JRA Development, contracting firm, Pittsburgh - $7,000
Steven Mosites Jr., Mosites Construction, contracting firm, Pittsburgh - $5,000
John Ferchill, The Ferchill Group, developer, Cleveland - $5,000
L. Robert Kimball & Associates, engineering firm, Ebensburg - $5,000
Gregg Perelman, Walnut Capital, developer, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Todd Reidbord, Walnut Capital, developer, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Jeff Zell, Jeff Zell Consultants, engineering firm, Coraopolis - $5,000
James Rudolph, McKnight Development, developer, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Thorpe, Reed & Armstrong, law firm, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Craig Remmington, Remmington & Vernick, engineering firm, Haddonfield, N.J. - $5,000
Curtis Kossman, Kossman Development, developer, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Paul Kossman, Kossman Development, developer, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Marc Kossman, Kossman Development, developer, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Reed Smith, law firm, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, law firm, Pittsburgh - $5,000
C.J. Betters, CJ Properties, developer, Beaver - $5,000
Bruce Fletcher, ATS-Chester Engineers, engineering firm, Moon Township - $2,750
Paul Renne, retired, Mount Washington, $2,500
Norman Levy, Pension Enhancement Consulting, financial firm, Rockville Center, N.Y. -- $2,500
John Legittino, Pension Enhancement Consulting, financial firm, Rockville Center, N.Y. -- $2,500
William Stephens, Pension Enhancement Consulting, financial firm, Rockville Center, N.Y. -- $2,500
Tom Quinlan, Pension Enhancement Consulting, financial firm, Rockville Center, N.Y. -- $2,500
ATS-Chester PAC, engineering firm, Moon Township - $2,250
Mark Lay, MDL Capital, investment firm, Pittsburgh - $2,000
Alvin Rogal, Hilb Rogal, insurance brokerage, Pittsburgh - $2,000
William Hunt, The Elmhurst Group, developer, Pittsburgh - $1,500
Chad Connor, no employer listed, Pittsburgh - $1,500
Alan Torrance, Dickie McCamey & Chilcote, law firm, Pittsburgh - $1,500
Milliron Association PAC, Harrisburg - $1,000
James A. Aiello, JRA Development, contracting firm, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Martin Herman, The Ferchill Group, developer, Cleveland - $1,000
Timm Judson, The Ferchill Group, developer, Cleveland - $1,000
Kevin Weigand, The Ferchill Group, developer, Cleveland - $1,000
Stevens Group, partnership, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Edward McGee, DMJM Harris, engineering firm, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Eugene Bentley, EB Advanced, engineering firm, Washington, D.C. - $1,000
William Ryan, Point Spring & Driveshaft, manufacturing, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Mr. Peduto's $1,000-and-up contributors, Jan. 1, 2006 through Jan.. 31, 2006
William F. Benter, Acusis Medical Transcription, transcription, Pittsburgh - $50,000
Henry John Simonds, Headwater Films, filmmaker, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Ellen Kaplan Goldstein, no employer listed, Pittsburgh - $5,000
Jim Lampl, Giant Eagle, retailer, O'Hara Township - $5,000
Joseph R. George, no employer listed, Philadelphia - $4,000
Daniel W. Pituch, West Penn Allegheny Health System, Pittsburgh - $3,000
Steven Mosites, Jr., Mosites Construction, construction firm, Pittsburgh - $2,000
David Sufrin, Sufrin Supplies, office supplies firm, Pittsburgh - $2,000
Diane Fisher, homemaker, Fox Chapel - $2,000
Michael Berger, Michael Berger Gallery, art gallery, Pittsburgh - $1,250
Peter Smerd, Boulevard Building Inc., developers, Pittsburgh - $1,250
Eric Goldberg, All American Event and Tours, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Alan Siger, TUF Enterprises, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Susan Rothenberg, no employer listed, Pittsburgh - $1,000
William Kolano, Kolano Design, marketing firm, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Bill Groucutt, UPMC Shadyside, physician, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Ellsworth Center Co., developer, Pittsburgh - $1,000
John M. Sylvester, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, law firm, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Warehouse Development Co., developer, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Charles Humphrey, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, film school, Pittsburgh - $1,000
John H. Knight, Lynx Energy Partners, oil and gas drilling, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Brian Mendelssohn, self-employed systems consultant, Chicago - $1,000
Richard P. Schweikert, self-employed in real estate, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Peter Gordon, Gordon Real Estate, real estate agency, Pittsburgh - $1,000
John F. Nagle, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh - $1,000
David Gilman, The Frankel Group, consulting firm, New York - $1,000
Ronna Sue Zell, no employer listed, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Joseph M. Fryz, Jr., TarquinCoRE, developer, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Ronald J. Tarquinio, TarquinCoRE, developer, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Charles C. Cohen, Cohen & Grigsby, law firm, Pittsburgh - $1,000
Kevin C. Harkins, Cohen & Grigsby, law firm, Pittsburgh - $1,000
