Candidates' financial reports filed

OGDEN -- Three out of four candidates who won Ogden City Council seats in last month's election raised more campaign money than their opponents, according to financial disclosure statements.

The exception was incumbent Jesse Garcia, who received $7,092 in contributions but lost the Ward 1 seat to challenger Neil Garner, who raised about $1,600.

Garcia said he is pleased with his fundraising efforts, but said campaign donations don't guarantee victory at the polls.

"It's voter turnout," said Garcia, explaining the most critical factor of an election. "My opponent was from the southeast part of my district, which has higher voter turnout."

Garcia's largest contributions were $1,000 from the Professional Firefighters of Utah and $500 each from Mary Hall, of Ogden, and Stokes Strategies, based in Salt Lake City.

Garcia spent $5,931 during his campaign on signs and other promotional materials, finance disclosure reports indicate.

Garner nearly broke even, receiving $5,458 in contributions and spending $5,459.

"I was pretty pleased," Garner said, adding he received a number of small donations. "I am grateful for all the neighbors who came out to support me."

His largest donations came from the Utah Realtors Association, which gave $1,500, and the Utah Apartment Association, which contributed $500.

Incumbent City Councilman Doug Stephens, who was re-elected to represent Ward 3, raised $4,172 and spent $4,158 on signs, Web site design and other materials.

"We managed our money very well," he said. "We maximized our contribution money."

Stephen's largest donation was $1,000 from the Professional Firefighters of Utah. Mayor Matthew Godfrey contributed $100 to Stephens' campaign five days before the Nov. 3 election.

Patrick Dean, who challenged Stephens, received $3,343 in donations and spent $3,260. Susan Van Hooser, who won the At-Large Seat A, received $12,165 in contributions while expenditures totaled $12,045.

"I got a really nice cross-section of donations and was pleased that everyone was very generous," said Van Hooser.

The Professional Firefighters of Utah and RKP Industrial based in Ogden each gave $1,000 to her campaign.

Mark B. Hains, who ran against Van Hooser, had $11,812 in donations and spent $17,462.

Hains could not be reached for comment regarding how he plans to erase the $5,650 deficit.

Bart Blair, who was unopposed for At-Large Seat B, raised $10,786 for his campaign war chest and spent $10,659.

He could not be reached for comment. Among Blair's donations were $500 each from Staker Parsons Inc. in Ogden and State Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace.

David Phipps, who was challenging Blair until he was disqualified for filing his finance statements late, broke even by receiving and spending $9,004.

Related link: This article is a topic of discussion at Weber County Forum.