Big gap between rich and poor in Springs council races

Fund-raising in the crowded race for Colorado Springs City Council is shaping up to be a contest of the haves versus the have-nots, with big gaps in-between.

Campaign finance reports filed Monday show a couple candidates have raised more than $10,000, two months before the election, while many others have not raised any.

Click here to see the reports.

Leading the tally is Merv Bennett, former president and CEO of the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, who reported raising $15,480, of which $5,000 was a loan.

Bennett is one of 19 people seeking five at-large council seats. Incumbent councilwoman Jan Martin has the next-largest war chest, with $9,031, $6,841 of which she carried over from prior fund-raising activities. The other council member running, Sean Paige, has raised $3,340.

Among other candidates for the at-large seats, Thomas “Tony” Exum, a retired Colorado Springs Fire Department battalion chief, raised $7,554, including a $1,369 self-loan; Brandy Williams, a civil engineer, raised $3,625; Dan Reifschneider, a retired Air Force officer, had $2,130, though $2,000 of that was his own money; Val Snider, also an Air Force retiree, had $1,000, all a self-loan; and Tony Carpenter, a former city streets worker, raised $500.

The other candidates did not file reports or reported raising no money: Ed Bircham, Douglas Bruce, Richard Bruce, Helen Collins, Andy Fiedor, Daniel Freysinger, Gretchen Kasameyer, Tim Leigh, Dawn Lloyd, Bill Murray and Christopher Sharkey.

In the race for the District 3 council seat, former state Rep. Michael Merrifield is the fund-raising heavyweight, with $11,285 raised so far, $4,400 of which he had on-hand before Jan. 3, the beginning of the reporting period. His opponent, Lisa Czelatdko, has raised just $825, $500 of which she loaned her committee.

The district includes downtown and southwest Colorado Springs. Click here for a map of council districts.

In District 2, which covers northeast Colorado Springs, four candidates are running. The money leader is Angela Dougan, who managed the campaign of the previous seat-holder, Darryl Glenn. She has raised $3,501.

Candidate David Jensen, a retired businessman, raised $100, a self-loan, while candidate Larry Bagley, an Air Force Academy graduate and former board member of the Council of Neighbors and Organizations, raised no cash but spent about $200 of his own money so far. Candidate Mike Terry, who identified himself in city documents as a research analyst for Air Force Space Command, reported raising and spending no money.

Some may not be raising money because they are busy collecting signatures. Wednesday is the deadline to submit signatures to be listed on the ballot.