BENTONVILLE -- Donors, including members of the Walton family, contributed nearly $82,000 to the winning Republican county judge candidate, according to documents filed with the county.
Barry Moehring, who won the party nomination for county judge, received campaign contributions of $81,950 and spent $80,861. Moehring will face write-in candidate Jeff Broadston in November. Bob Clinard, incumbent county judge, reported contributions of $6,500 and expenditures of $8,818.
Campaign Reports
Candidates for local office in Benton County are required to file campaign contribution and expenditure reports, which are open for inspection at the County Clerk’s office.
Source: Staff report
Clinard said Friday he's disappointed spending on a local office reached the amount reported by Moehring. Clinard also said he's concerned campaign donors may try to influence issues before the county, citing the continuing debate over a new county courts facilities.
The county has considered the needs of the circuit court judges and related offices for the past several years. An initial study identified locations in downtown Bentonville and on county property on Southwest 14th Street as possible sites for a new building or an expansion of facilities. Clinard favors the Southwest 14th Street location. Downtown Bentonville business interests, as represented by Downtown Bentonville Inc., favor keeping the courts system downtown.
"The facts are the Walton family, the Walton Family Foundation and a significant amount of downtown business people apparently decided the only significant issue in the campaign was the location of the courthouse, and they decided to support a candidate who agrees with them," Clinard said.
Moehring rejected Clinard's characterization of the support for his campaign.
"I received monetary support from well over 100 people from across Benton County and from all different sectors of the county," Moehring said. "The vast majority of them were smaller amounts. I also received support from people who were willing to make phone calls or put signs in their yards. To me, nothing was more gratifying than to go into a neighborhood to knock on doors and see my campaign signs up at the homes of people I'd never met, people who wanted change in Benton County."
Moehring, who received contributions from eight members of the Walton family and others with ties to Wal-Mart, said his position that favors a downtown location for the courts and related offices was known before he decided to run for office.
"There's no influence there," he said. "My position is known and has been known. It's a position that, I think, resonated with the voters."
The winning Republican Party candidate for county sheriff also outpaced his opponents in fundraising and spending, according to the documents.
Shawn Holloway, who won the party nomination, reported receiving $66,929 in campaign contributions and spending $69,269. He will face independent candidate Glenn Latham in November.
Former sheriff Kelley Cradduck reported contributions of $1,087 and spending of $6,180. Cradduck also reported a beginning campaign balance of $5,093. Paul Pillaro reported contributions of $2,046 and expenditures of $5,447. Pillaro also reported a beginning balance of $5,409. Timothy Filbeck reported contributions of $2,350 and expenditures of $3,576.
Races for other offices were less heated. Benton County voters had only one contested race for the Quorum Court, for the District 11 seat, in which Bob Bland defeated Will Hanna. Bland reported contributions of $916 and spending of $916. Hanna, who had no report on file, said he spent $3,500 of his own money on the campaign.
Bland said he set a limit on his spending and stuck to it. His contributions included a single $100 contribution from a voter and donations of $316 from himself and $500 from his wife. He said the biggest expenses were $395 for yard signs and stakes and $272 for banners.
"I had a personal budget of $1,000 and I wasn't going to go over it," he said.
Hanna said he's uncomfortable asking people for money so he self-financed his campaign, spending $1,000 on a campaign website and most of the remaining $2,500 on signs.
"I didn't take anything from anybody," he said.
While campaign contribution and expenditure reports were due May 2, some candidates have yet to turn in the reports, according to Dana Caler, election administrator with the Benton County Clerk's Office. Caler said the Clerk's Office sent reminders to candidates, but not all responded. There is no penalty for filing the reports late or missing them, she said.
NW News on 05/14/2016