Alexa Anderson closes books on School Committee run with post-election filing
Alexa Anderson’s disclosure shows she never cashed $550 worth of campaign donations and overspent her coffers ahead of April’s election.
Outgoing School Committee member Alexa Anderson’s amended financial disclosure shows she never cashed $550 worth of campaign donations and overspent her coffers in the weeks before April’s election.
The uncashed checks left Anderson $334.74 in the red as of March 31. She resolved the deficit with a personal loan, which she later forgave.
In a Tuesday email, she confirmed one $500 check came from an uncle, Richard Iannella, who was “too generous.” She said she rejected the remaining $50 because she didn’t know the donor.
Anderson finished the campaign with $1,525 in fundraising, $800 of in-kind contributions — excluding loan forgiveness — and total spending of $1,859.74.
In a race where candidates spent more than $62,000 combined, Anderson said it was “pretty clear that I didn’t put any effort into fundraising for my campaign, because frankly, [I] don’t believe money has a place in politics.”
In-kind contributions
Anderson finished behind Michael Williams and Sandeep Pisharody in a three-way race for two committee seats.
Williams finished first with 2,767 votes, according to official results. Pisharody finished second with 2,710 and Anderson was third with 2,457.
Anderson said she “reluctantly fundraised” to pay for yard signs and finds fundraising “self-centered and distasteful.”
Her post-election form covered dates after April 1. In addition to the loan, it acknowledged a $300 in-kind contribution from a Acton resident for yard signs and a $500 in-kind payment from Select Board candidate and Acton Market owner Elizabeth Akehurst-Moore.
Akehurst-Moore hosted events for herself and fellow defeated Select Board hopeful Joe Laurin, as well as Anderson and Pisharody. Akehurst-Moore’s contribution to Anderson covered “space to meet with friends on election night.”
Anderson was more than two weeks late with her post-election form. Williams, Select Board chair Mary Hartman, and Laurin also missed the post-election deadlines, but submitted their documents within days of the cutoff.
Anderson’s filings were the last outstanding paperwork from this year’s election.
