ELECTIONS / COUNTY SUPERVISOR : Campbell Leads Opponents With $35,000 in Funds

Using a strategy designed to overwhelm his competition and scare off potential rivals, Fillmore Councilman Roger Campbell has raised nearly $35,000 in political donations for his upcoming campaign for county supervisor.

In sharp contrast, the three other candidates in the race said they have yet to raise any money for their campaigns to replace Supervisor Maggie Kildee, who is retiring at the end of the year.

The election, scheduled for March 26, is still nearly eight months away, but the first campaign-finance reports were due Monday.

Campbell said his statements showed he is off to an early start.

“If anybody else is thinking about running, they’ve got some catching up to do,” Campbell said. “I have a lot of support out there.”

In the two other supervisorial races, Supervisors John K. Flynn and Susan Lacey have easily outpaced challengers who want to take their seats on the five-member board.

Lacey has raised about $14,000 so far this year and is going into her reelection campaign with $19,875 in cash, according to her campaign finance statement filed Monday.

In his bid to unseat Lacey, Ventura City Councilman Jim Monahan has raised $5,967 so far this year. After expenses, his fledgling campaign was left with only $1,307.

Flynn, the other incumbent supervisor, has $18,838 in cash to begin his race for his fifth term. His only challenger to file a campaign statement was Arlene Fraser, who reported raising $1,882 so far this year. Fraser ran against Flynn four years ago and lost.

Campbell said he plans to raise at least $100,000 to deliver his pro-business message to the voters in a district that includes Camarillo, Fillmore, Santa Paula and the Ojai Valley.

*

So far, he has raised $34,952 and spent $14,842 to develop political brochures and pay other campaign expenses. His report showed he had $20,109 in cash as of June 30 to continue his campaign.

The three other announced candidates--Camarillo Councilman Mike Morgan, Kildee chief of staff Kathy Long and Kildee administrative assistant Al Escoto--said their campaigns have not reached a point where they needed to file campaign finance statements by Monday’s deadline.

“I have no monies yet, so nothing to report,” Morgan said. “We will start the fund-raising after August.”

Neither Long nor Escoto said they were intimidated by Campbell’s early fund-raising prowess.

“He’s got a pretty good head start,” said Escoto, a former Santa Paula councilman. But, he said, “we will catch up pretty quick and surpass him.”

Long said she has been encouraged by numerous supporters. “We will raise the money that is needed.”

Ventura County will have one open legislative seat in next year’s election, as Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) must retire because of voter-imposed term limits.

Scott Wilk, Boland’s chief of staff, weighed in with the most money Monday, saying he has amassed $62,606 in cash. He said supporters also have given him free office space and the results of a political poll in the district that includes Simi Valley and Fillmore, he said.

Bob Larkin, former chairman of the county’s Republican central committee, reported that he had raised $21,875 this year and had $15,770 left in the bank as of June 30.

“I have almost $30,000 now,” Larkin said. “I’m very happy where I’m at, at this stage.”

Stephen R. Frank, a Simi Valley government consultant and another candidate in the 38th Assembly District race, has raised about $6,800 in cash. He reported receiving another $5,000 in free computer services to set up electronic mail and other political services on the Internet.

Frank said he will not need as much money as other candidates to win because his supporters know where he stands on the issues and he will not have to send out expensive mailers.

*

In the county’s other legislative races, incumbents were the only candidates to file financial statements by Monday’s deadline.

State Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) reported that she had about $35,000 to begin her reelection campaign.

The statement of Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard) showed he has raised $37,800 so far this year, with $24,000 left after expenses to finance his campaign for a third term.

And Assemblyman Brooks Firestone, a Santa Ynez Republican who represents the western portion of Ventura County, had about $127,700 in cash to run for a second term.