Mayor candidates reflect on campaigns

Lesli Bales-Sherrod

Jeff Boling made his own signs.

Howard Kerr wished he had invested in a better pair of walking shoes.

With the county mayor race winding down to the county primaries on Tuesday, the six candidates reflected on their campaigns and campaign finance.

Boling

How much money does it take to be county mayor?

Jeff Boling is hoping not much.

"It's hard for a poor person to win an election and overcome big money like PACs and Realtor groups," he said. "But I've always stayed away from that. I've always stayed away from big business. I'm for the normal people."

Boling estimated Thursday that he will have spent about $600 by the time his campaign is over. Although he checked on his campaign financial disclosure statement that he was exempt from filing a detailed disclosure because he has received and spent less than $1,000, Boling's April 10 statement listed disbursements of $300 for signs and $106 for gas.

"For a poor campaign, that's about all you can do," said Boling, who added he does not think campaign finance laws are strict enough.

Boling said he was proud, though, that he had spent his own money.

"I have not taken any fund-raisers, and I have not taken any money from any special interest groups," he said. "I made my signs myself, and I put them out myself."

Boling wasn't worried Thursday about the lack of funds.

"I have run a good campaign for a low-budget campaign," he said. "People say it takes a lot of money, but it takes a lot of shaking people's hands."

Boling said his advantage is that he knows a lot of people. He noted that he was the youngest Republican ever elected in Blount County when he won a five-man race for constable when he was 22. And when he ran for state senator in 1996, he got 17,000 votes, he said.

"There won't even be 17,000 votes in this election," Boling said. "I'm just asking those who have voted for me before to go out and vote for me one more time. Nothing is going to change if you stay home and sit on the couch."

Cunningham

Jerry Cunningham, who has spent more money than any of the candidates, said Friday that he has run a "textbook" campaign.

"I am especially proud that we haven't done one negative thing," he said. "I promised my fellow candidates and the voters that we would bring some decency to politics, and we have done that."

Cunningham said he was disappointed, however, that he had been attacked by a candidate who had given his word that he would not attack him. Cunningham did not name the candidate and said he would not answer "in kind."

"I see it for what it is -- an act of desperation," he said. "I feel like it's a trust betrayed, but all it's done is help my campaign because it is seen by the public as negative and attacking."

Cunningham said he had "no quibble" with the campaign finance laws "other than you have to do a filing every time you turn around."

On Cunningham's April 25 campaign financial disclosure statement, he listed an in-kind contribution of $900 from Houston Murphy, whose occupation is listed as "developer." Murphy filed suit against the Blount County Board of Zoning Appeals, Blount County Building Commissioner Roger Fields and citizen Ginna French last year after Fields tried to enforce a stop-work order on buildings Murphy was erecting on his property on U.S. 411 South.

Cunningham said he has been friends with Murphy for years and that he was not concerned that a person suing the county had held a reception for him. He added Murphy is a co-defendant with the county on other suits French filed.

"There are other people who have built houses and held receptions for county mayor candidates, so I don't know why you would single him out," Cunningham said.

He added that the county mayor does not decide lawsuits against the county; a judge does.

"I didn't think about the lawsuits," Cunningham said, noting he has not read them.

He added that it is his understanding the lawsuits would be over before he would take office, if elected.

The suits, which have been consolidated, were assigned to Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood after Chancellor Telford Forgety and Circuit Court Judge W. Dale Young recused themselves. Blackwood's office said Friday that no trial has been set.

Grothjahn

The amount of money Harry Grothjahn has loaned his campaign is more than the amount of money he has taken in from other sources.

That is something Grothjahn said he thinks is important.

"A lot of special interest money from Realtors and builders is going to Mr. Cunningham, and those are the people who have profited from the growth in the community at the expense of the taxpayers," he said Friday. "You would think Mr. Cunningham might have some sort of moral obligation to those people if elected, and I don't have those types of special interest considerations."

Grothjahn said he feels good about his campaign, which he hopes has shown voters he is "not just a politician," but also "an administrator, a manager and a concerned citizen."

And as a concerned citizen, Grothjahn expressed his disapproval with one of the changes in campaign finance laws: the reduction of cash contributions limits from $100 to $50.

"The people in Nashville again proved they are more interested in protecting special interests groups than encouraging average citizens to get involved in the political process," he said. "They are not interested in letting us support new candidates that could be their opposition. They really penalized the small cash contributors and protected their ability to continue in office."

Kerr

Howard Kerr, who has taken in more money than any other candidate, said he tried to "spread it out" among direct mail, newspaper and television advertising, and yard signs because research shows that "not all people are reachable by one medium or the other."

But Kerr also touted the importance of door-to-door visitation.

"Probably the most important thing I could have done is buy a more comfortable pair of walking shoes," he said Thursday.

Kerr said he was very satisfied with his campaign, which laid out a master plan last fall. His only disappointment, he said, is that not as many people have looked at his Web site as he had hoped.

As the only candidate who also ran for county mayor in 2002, Kerr said this race has been "unusually docile." But still, Kerr has been plagued by what he called "a first-class sign gremlin."

Kerr explained that it is not unusual for him and his supporters to put out 20 signs and, two days later, for half of them to have been stolen. Two signs were taken from Kerr's own driveway, he said, and a supporter on Tuckaleechee Pike erected his own plywood sign after his two signs were stolen.

"I ended up having to buy 200 more yard signs," Kerr said. "I consider it minor, but I've lost $1,500-1,800 worth of signs."

Kerr said he did not report the issue because "the sheriff's office has more important things to do than catch a sign thief."

Other than the problem with stolen signs, Kerr noted that county mayor forums have been "very collegial" and that the candidates have a lot of similarities.

"But we've got our differences, too, and that's what voters are really looking for," Kerr said.

Morton

Mike Morton said Friday he has been "on a pretty restricted budget" with his campaign, which has led him to be "pretty wise, pretty conservative" with how he has chosen to spend his money.

Although campaigning is not new to Morton, who currently serves as Blount County's property assessor, he said this race for county mayor has been different than his past experiences.

"There is a little more attention, a little more focus," he said. "But you just work as hard as you can. Lay out a plan and follow the plan. And still you wonder if you've done enough."

Like Grothjahn, Morton criticized the limiting of cash contributions to $50.

"If you can take a $100 check, you should be able to take $100 in cash," he said.

But Morton's only concern going into the election Tuesday was whether the new voting machines and the need to demonstrate to voters how to use them may make lines long and discourage voters from staying long enough to cast their ballots.

"I hope they'll be patient and stick with it and don't leave," Morton said. "That would be a travesty."

Gallagher

Joe Gallagher, the lone Democrat in the field, said Thursday he has spend most of his money on yard signs and bumper stickers, but he added that he hasn't "spent much money at all."

That's because, with no Democratic opposition in Tuesday's primary, Gallagher is guaranteed a spot in the Aug. 3 county general election.

"I'm looking forward to after the primary, when I'll be able to compete with one individual," Gallagher said. "I think the fact I don't have a specific opponent has created a limbo effect and hasn't made me as aggressive as I will be next week (after the election)."

Gallagher said he hopes the campaign will be "a gentlemanly" one.

"I have thoughts about all of (the Republican candidates) except Mr. Boling, whom I haven't met because he hasn't shown up at any of the forums," he said. "I think the Republicans are taking me seriously."