Wide spending gap between the Select Board candidates
New campaign filings provide financial snapshots of this year’s lone competitive town election race.
It’s a tale of two campaigns — at least when it comes to money.
For Sam Hiersteiner, his Select Board bid is also a family affair.
New campaign filings provide financial snapshots of this year’s lone competitive town election race. Voters will decide who wins the seat when they finish casting their ballots on Tuesday.
State law requires candidates to report their finances eight days before an election.
Select Board race finances were reported as follows:
Sam Hiersteiner
- Total fundraising: $9,816.90
- Personal loans: $0
- Campaign account expenses: $4,307.50
- Out-of-pocket expenses: $890.46
- Cash on hand: $5,509.40
Of the 15 Hiersteiner donors who gave more than $50, six share his last name. Together, they contributed $4,400. Hiersteiner confirmed the family ties to The Acton Bridge.
Among his expenses, Hiersteiner paid $1,500 to his cousin’s graphic design firm. His highest reported expense was $2,043.20 in print production services.
Dean Banfield
- Total fundraising: $3,015.67
- Personal loans: $1,038.25
- Campaign account expenses: $1,132.42
- Out-of-pocket expenses: $38.25
- Cash on hand: $2,883.25
Although they had to file their disclosures on Monday, state rules required candidates to report only those transactions conducted on or before March 13. Banfield’s filing didn’t include a campaign postcard that went out after the cutoff.
Such mailings historically cost candidates several thousand dollars. Absent that expenditure, Banfield’s highest reported campaign expense was $717.19 for lawn signs.
Uncontested candidates
This year’s three uncontested candidates also were required to file campaign disclosures.
School Committee office-seeker Drew Magliozzi raised $849 but didn’t report spending any of that money as of his filing date. He logged just over $450 in out-of-pocket website hosting expenses, and he owed volunteer Claudia Weber slightly more than $500 after she covered a variety of election costs, including yard signs.
Town moderator candidate Karlen Reed lent her campaign $1,000 in November to set up an election account. Like Magliozzi, she didn’t spend from that account. She instead logged just under $550 in out-of-pocket expenses, primarily for her campaign website.
Housing Authority incumbent Stephan Bader posted no fundraising or spending in his report.
