In the race to amass campaign contributions to seek the office of mayor in Maui County, former Maui County Council Member Mike Victorino finished far ahead of his competitors, according to reports filed this week with the state Campaign Spending Commission.
Thursday was the deadline for candidates on the primary election ballot to file their first preliminary report for this year’s election. The primary election is four weeks from today on Aug. 11.
Victorino’s total receipts of $138,922.13 was 122 percent more than Council Member Don Guzman’s $62,464, and it was 144 percent more than Council Member Elle Cochran’s $56,843.10, campaign spending reports show. Victorino and the two council members are considered front-runners in the contest to succeed Mayor Alan Arakawa next year.
“I’ve been very blessed,” Victorino said Friday. “We have a wide array of support from the business community, unions, working people and small and big business. I’m proud of the support I’ve received financially and in the campaign itself.
“I couldn’t be happier at this point.”
DON GUZMAN, Raised $62,464
After a bit of a slow start, Victorino said his message is getting out to voters, “and they like my message.”
He said people are seeing “my passion for mayor and my commitment are genuine; my plans and objectives are resonating around the community. People are just coming and wanting to help.”
Cochran said she didn’t think having less money in her campaign coffers would be a disadvantage because she’s been running a grass-roots campaign focused on the people’s needs, trying to improve their quality of life and to come up with solutions.
“It’s not about money,” she said.
Cochran said her aim is to garner the support of voters and has put up her own money to do so.
ELLE COCHRAN, Raised $56,843.10
“This is my dream,” she said. “I’ve put it on myself to make it happen.”
The people’s concerns are “what drives my campaign and what I do in this job, the will of the people,” she said.
Guzman could not be reached for comment Friday.
Victorino, who served as a council member from 2007 to 2016, took in total receipts of $138,922.13 in the reporting period from Jan. 1 through June 30. He added that total to the $20,434.93 cash on hand he had at the beginning of the reporting period, giving him a total amount available of $159,357.06.
Victorino reported total expenditures of $96,897.82, leaving him with cash on hand of $62,459.24 with about four weeks to the Aug. 11 primary election.
That compares with Guzman’s cash on hand of $20,693.73 (33.1 percent of Victorino’s cash) and Cochran’s $7,930.49 (12.7 percent of Victorino’s).
Most of Victorino’s contributions — $107,284 — came from contributions of more than $100. Another $18,638.13 came from donations of $100 or less.
Contributions from Victorino’s immediate family included $10,000 from his son, retired Major League Baseball player Shane Victorino, and $3,200 from son Michael P. Victorino Jr., a Young Brothers stevedore. (State law allows immediate family members to donate up to $50,000 in an election period.) The candidate contributed $4,506.56.
Victorino’s report on campaign contributors showed two donors exceeding the $4,000 limit. One was Pacific Pipe Co. owner Ken Ota of Wailuku, who donated $4,300.
Contacted Friday, Ota said he noticed on Friday that he had contributed too much and that it was an honest mistake. He said he understood he faced a $200 fine for the overpayment.
Victorino said Ota’s $300 overpayment had been returned.
“Everything is up and up,” he said, adding that the Campaign Spending Commission staffers were happy the mistake was caught and corrected.
The other overpayment came from Local Union 1186 IBEW PAC Fund, which donated $5,500 to Victorino. But, in that case, Victorino’s expenditures report shows his campaign later refunded the union $1,500 for the overpayment.
Commission Executive Director Kristin Izumi-Nitao said campaigns have 30 days in which to refund donations that exceed the contribution limit, which is $4,000 for the office of mayor.
In Ota’s case, she said it looked as though he gave too much. But, she said, a conciliation agreement could be filed with the commission that could lead to Ota paying only a third of the $200 fine.
Other Victorino supporters donating the $4,000 maximum amount were: the Hawaii Operating Engineers Industry St. Fund of Kapolei, Mike’s Hong Kong Bistro owner Mike Israel, Painters Union Local 1791 PAC, Operating Engineers Local 3 PAC, Masons Union Local 630, Goodfellow Bros. Inc. Vice President Chad Goodfellow, Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters and 2200 Main LLC.
Victorino also received donations in the $3,000 range from: SSFM International Inc. President Michael Matsumoto of Honolulu, $3,500; Alexander & Baldwin Inc. HIPC, $3,000; H2O Processing Corp. salesperson Jarret Choy of Honolulu, $3,000; real estate developer Everett Dowling, $3,000; H2O Processing Corp. President Milton Choy of Honolulu, $3,000.
Those donating in the $2,000 range were: ILWU Local 142 PAC Account, $2,945.48; retired A&B executive Stanley Kuriyama, $2,700; Honolulu real estate developer Stanford Carr, $2,500; Steeltech Inc. President Valentine Peroff of Aiea, Oahu, $2,500; Soderholm Sales & Leasing President R. Eric Soderholm of Honolulu, $2,500; Honolulu waste treatment consultant Renee Wallrabenstein, $2,500; Realtor Robert Tanaka, $2,300; SSFM International engineer Darren Shibata of Mililani, Oahu, $2,000.
Donors of more than $1,000 were: R.M. Towill Corp. manager Greg Hiyakumoto of Aiea, $1,750; Patao Gas & Go, $1,650; Aina Pacific LLC of Kihei, $1,600; Goodfellow Bros. Inc. Chief Executive Officer J. Stephen Goodfellow, $1,450; All Island Painting owner Art Leal of Makawao, $1,350; Kahului Carpet & Drapery Products Inc. of Kahului, $1,300; Dorvin D. Leis Co. Inc. President Stephen Leis, $1,190.
His $1,000 donors included: Lanai Resorts Marketing Director Lynn McCrory of Honolulu; GA Morris Inc. owner George Morris; R.M. Towill Corp. engineer James Hideto Yamamoto of Honolulu; Pacific Strategies of Honolulu; self-employed contractor Bert Kobayashi of Honolulu; Lyons Associates manager Frank James Lyons of Honolulu; Collier & Associates Realtor Quintin-John Collier; Lyons Associates Chief Executive Officer Dominic Milles of Waimanalo, Oahu; FAI Hawaii Inc. engineer Ken Hayashida of Honolulu; Land Sea Engineering engineer Kurt Reinecke of Kula; Pacific Pure Energy of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Jace & Kim Repair owner Gordon Yoshizawa of Wailuku.
At the beginning of the year, Guzman had $31,041.22, and in the next six months he added $62,464 in total receipts, giving him a total amount available of $93,505.22. Of that, he expended $72,811.49 and was left with cash on hand of $20,693.73. His report notes he has a $5,000 loan. That leaves him with a cash surplus of $15,693.73.
His campaign income broke down into $39,776 of amounts of more than $100 and $21,513 in amounts of $100 or less. He received $800 from immediate family members and had $375 in other receipts, including his own funds.
Guzman contributions of $1,000 or more came from Paia Inn owner Michael Baskin, $3,000; Goodfellow Bros. Inc. President Chad Goodfellow, $2,700; Wailuku resident and Eco-Properties Realtor Eric Ong, $2,000; Vancouver, Wash., resident and Re/Max Equity Group Realtor Douglas Palin Jr., $2,000; AAAAA Rent-A-Space-Maui Ltd. of Lahaina, $2,000; Cafe O’Lei, $1,450; Makawao resident Dr. Colleen Inouye, $1,290; Omaha, Neb., resident and retired physician Josephine Guzman-Wadman, $1,000; Kean Family LLC of Kihei, $1,000; V. Bagoyo Development Consulting of Wailuku, $1,000; and Wailuku resident and ECM Engineering engineer/consultant Mark Unemori, $1,000.
Cochran reported having $10,131.99 on hand at the beginning of the reporting period, and she took in another $56,843.10 for a total amount available of $66,975.09. Of that amount, she spent $59,044.60, leaving her with cash on hand of $7,930.49.
Of Cochran’s campaign income, $27,704.17 was classified as “other receipts,” including the candidate’s own funds. Of the $29,138.93 in other income, $23,813.63 was in amounts of more than $100 and $5,325.30 was in amounts of $100 or less.
Cochran contributions of $1,000 or more came from Santa Fe, N.M., resident and self-employed investor Jeffrey Bronfman, $2,000; Democratic lieutenant governor candidate, Honolulu resident and attorney Kim Coco Iwamoto, $2,000; Honolulu resident and retired attorney Randy Ching, $2,000; Kihei resident and self-employed author Sulara James, $2,000; Sail Maui, $1,725; Kihei resident and business owner Deborah Mader, $1,327.25.
Other mayoral candidates had little or nothing to report.
Kihei resident Alec Hawley disclosed no income and reported $400 in expenditures.
Makawao resident Beau Hawkes reported no income or expenditures.
There was no campaign spending report for mayoral candidates Ori Kopelman and Laurent Zahnd. Both said they didn’t need to file a report because they had agreed not to raise or spend more than $1,000.
Izumi-Nitao said candidates who spend $1,000 or less still need to file a final campaign spending report on Dec. 6.
In his email explaining he doesn’t need to immediately file a campaign spending report, Zahnd added: “Unlike the other main mayoral candidates, Mr. L is not an errand boy for developers & corporations.”
* Brian Perry can be reached at bperry@mauinews.com.
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