NOTE: I STRONGLY encourage you to download Mark Boughton and Chris Seatro's campaign reports (links are provided below) and follow the files as you read my VERY general analysis. As for now, I'm not providing a detailed analysis of the financial reports (e.g., contributions from outside Danbury, average contribution amount, donation per ward) as it's rather time-consuming and a detailed breakdown would be more informative as we near election day.
As the Democratic and Republican Town committees in Danbury prepare to hold their meetings for endorsement for the upcoming elections this month, I thought it would be informative to take a general look at the financial status Mayor Mark Boughton and Democratic Mayoral challenger Chris Setaro's campaigns.
After examining the two candidates' financial statements, one thing becomes clear: Chris Seatro is taking his campaign against the city's longest-running mayor seriously...and Mark Boughton is taking his 2001 challenger for the city's top post seriously as well.
Jan. 10th reporting period (DATES COVERED: 12/26/18-12/31/18)
DOCUMENT: Setaro SEEC Form 20 Jan 10 2019 (PDF)
For Team Setaro, his overall campaign fundraising effort, which has the Democratic challenger outpacing Boughton by nearly three thousand dollars to date, is a clear indication that the 2001 candidate for mayor at least has the financial backing to mount an effective campaign challenge in 2019.
Because Setaro filed his campaign paperwork on December 26th, 2018, he was able to raise a sizeable amount of money from friends and fellow attorneys ($25,435.00) before the end of the extremely short reporting period (Dec 26th-31st) before Boughton filed his campaign paperwork on January 2nd.
Setaro's early fundraising start was a wise strategy as it placed Boughton in unfamiliar territory as a candidate with a smaller war chest then his competitor.
Apr. 10th reporting period (DATES COVERED: 01/01/19-03/31/19)
DOCUMENT: Boughton SEEC Form 20 Apr 10 2019 (PDF) |
Setaro SEEC Form 20 Apr 10 2019 (PDF)
The numbers for the April 10th reporting period yield positives for both candidates.
Seatro continued his cash haul by raking a very impressive 80,000.00 dollars in individual contributions, with a noticeable amount of contributions coming from fellow colleagues in the legal field.
The reporting period yield positives for Boughton as he posted 61,290.00 in individual contributions...a figure that far eclipse his figure for the same period two years ago (12,250.00 dollars).
Jul. 10th reporting period (DATES COVERED: 04/01/19-06/31/19)
DOCUMENT: Boughton SEEC Form 20 Jul 10 2019 (PDF) |
Setaro SEEC Form 20 Jul 10 2019 (PDF)
The July 10 filing shows that Boughton is taking his Democratic challenger seriously by beating Setaro in individual contributions for the reporting period by a near a 2-1 margin. Boughton has also shown his strength as a long-term incumbent by catching his opponent's cash on hand figure (3,000 difference) as well as total money raised (16,000.00 dollar difference) despite raising funds for a shorter time span.
Setaro has much to be proud about given the very impressive war chest he has amassed (the most money raised by any Democratic mayoral candidate)...a far cry from the less than impressive financial performances of the Boughton's past challengers.
At least when it comes to the money race, based on the money raised between Boughton and Setaro, there is a good chance that we might witness a competitive race for mayor.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
