By Natalie Anderson
natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Campaign finance reports due this week show Mayor Karen Alexander and council member Tamara Sheffield lead in cash on hand and fundraising in Salisbury’s municipal election.

The pre-election reports include all campaign finance activity among candidates from Sept. 22 to Oct. 18. Reports were due Monday. The previous, 35-day reports, which included campaign finance activity between July and Sept. 21, also showed Alexander and Sheffield were leading all other candidates in cash on hand and donations.

Alexander’s pre-election report shows she began the period with $13,756 and ended it with $14,599 cash on hand, which is money left after any expenses during the period. In total, she’s raised $20,212. Her biggest donations during the pre-election period include $1,000 from Cornerstone Church Pastor Bill Godair, $1,500 from Salisbury resident Thomas Overcash, $750 from Statewide Title Inc. owner Harold Roberts Jr., $200 from former Mayor Susan Kluttz, $100 from Hood Theological Seminary President Vergel Lattimore and $500 from Global Contact Services COO Bryan Overcash.

Alexander reports spending $4,858 during the pre-election period and $9,195 overall. Among her expenses is $1,641 to place ads in the Post, $1,075 for radio ads with WSAT, $750 in ads with Great American Publishing Co. and $1,736 for yard signs.

Mayor Pro Tem Al Heggins, who is challenging Alexander in the city’s first mayoral race, began the reporting period with $4,090 and ended with $5,133 cash on hand. To date, she’s raised $12,010 from contributions. Among the donations in her pre-election report are $500 from Salisbury resident Evelyn Uddin-Khan, $400 from Salisbury resident Patricia Roos, $250 from South Main Book Company owner Alissa Redmond and $200 from Rocky Cabagnot of Hull & Chandler PA.

Heggins also received $250 from Javon Hargrave, a defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL.

Steve Cobb, a Salisbury resident, chose to give to both mayoral candidates, $200 to Alexander and Heggins, as well as $150 to Sheffield.

Heggins reports spending $3,987 during the reporting period and nearly $8,000 overall. Among her expenses is $1,740 for stamps to mail postcards, $1,084 for postcards at Print Place in California and $200 for a radio ad with WSAT.

Behind Sheffield is Nalini Joseph, district administrator for the Guardian ad Litem program. Joseph began the reporting period with $5,402 and ended with $5,108 cash on hand. She’s raised $9,646 to date, including $500 from Gerald Wood of Gerry Wood Auto Group, $450 from John Leatherman, $200 from Thomas Overcash and $100 from council member Brian Miller, who isn’t seeking re-election.

Joseph reports $1,645 from in-kind donations for a charity auction and meet-and-greet event she hosted in September. Additionally, she reports spending $3,689 during the reporting period, which includes $500 in ads with Great American Publishing Co., $500 in radio ads with WSAT and $535 for renting the Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery And Eatery for her campaign event.

Behind Joseph is Jessica Cloward, a broker with Lantern Realty, who reports beginning the period with $5,762 and ending it with $4,667 cash on hand. She’s raised $11,993 to date. Her contributions during the pre-election period include $750 from Global Contact Services CEO Greg Alcorn, $500 from Global Contact Services COO Bryan Overcash, $500 from local realtor Christina Bradshaw and $250 from Steve Fisher of F&M Bank.

Cloward reports spending $5,712 this reporting period, which covered $1,000 for a billboard sign from Granite Falls, $1,336 for ads with the Post, $1,000 for radio ads with WSAT and $1,281 from Harwood Signs.

Candidate Anthony Smith, a pastor at Mission House Church, began the reporting period with $3,666 and ended it with $3,227 cash on hand. He’s raised $12,166 to date, with his most recent donations including $100 from Tameka Brown of Salisbury, $500 from Sandra Smith of Alabama, $300 from Randy Built of Michigan and $100 from Salisbury resident Debra Jean Hubbard-Pastore.

Smith spent $2,909 during the reporting period, which includes $1,328 for yard signs from Victory Store, $750 to Lewis Directed Film for music and videos and $807 for campaign rack cards.

Council member David Post, who is seeking a fourth term, doesn’t accept campaign donations. His pre-election report shows he began and ended the reporting period with $513 cash on hand and loaned his campaign $1,794, which was used to purchase radio ads with WSAT for $300 and ads in the Post for $1,494.

In July, council candidate Harry McLaughlin Jr., owner of McLaughlin’s Grocery Store on West Monroe Street, signed a certification of threshold indicating he didn’t intend to raise or spend more than $1,000 for his campaign. He signed a statement withdrawing that threshold on Monday, which requires him to file the next scheduled report for all campaign finance activity. The next report is due Jan. 28, and will include financial activity up to Dec. 31.

Candidate Jonathan Barbee also filed a certification of threshold and has not withdrawn that agreement.

Contact reporter Natalie Anderson at 704-797-4246.