The major-party candidates for Erie County sheriff have puffed up their bank accounts and now have tens of thousands of dollars to spend in the weeks before Election Day, which will likely include more appeals for campaign cash.
Republican John C. Garcia, who had less than $4,000 on hand soon after the expensive GOP primary in June, can now pay for advertising, mailers and assorted campaign needs from his almost $191,000 balance.
Garcia raised more than $249,000 since the primary, more than any other candidate in the field, according to campaign finance reports for the period between mid-July and Sept. 27. He spent about $60,000 during those weeks, bringing his total campaign outlays to more than $300,000 so far, according to documents he filed with the state Board of Elections.
Garcia’s list of contributors is heavy with law enforcement officers and their unions, such as the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association, which, like the unions representing most Sheriff’s Office employees, endorsed him.
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Democrat Kimberly Beaty, who had about $7,459 on hand after her party’s primary, now has $50,540, according to a report from her “Friends of Kimberly Beaty” committee. Beaty brought in $90,110 after her primary win against Brian J. Gould, who is now chief of the Cheektowaga Police Department, and spent a little more than $47,000. She has now spent more than $130,000 on the race so far.
As major party nominees, Beaty and Garcia are likely to pick up cash and support from their party organizations. A $10,000 check from Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Zellner’s political committee was among Beaty’s largest single contributions.
Ted DiNoto, a detective lieutenant with the Amherst Police Department who is running on an independent line, reported taking in $44,738 during the period, and his campaign fund held an amount similar to Beaty’s, $50,400. DiNoto and his wife loaned the campaign $50,000 back in January, their records show.
DiNoto, who did not have a primary contest to finance, spent more than any other candidate during the latest period, almost $69,000, largely on campaign mail, lawn signs, advertising and a campaign consultant. With this latest round of expenses, the DiNoto campaign has paid out about $90,000 so far.
Karen Healy-Case’s campaign shows little life when compared to the days when she was the nominee of the Republican and Conservative leadership and was taking in more than $200,000. Garcia then buried her in the Republican primary by almost 20 percentage points. He took the line and left her with only the Conservative designation.
Healy-Case, who spent her law enforcement career with the Buffalo Police Department and now works in private security, vowed to continue. But she took in only one contribution in the latest reporting period, $250 from the campaign fund of former Republican state Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer. She had $3,610 in her campaign’s bank account, according to her report.
