By Jessie Burchette
Salisbury Post
Raymond Coltrain has raised more than $20,000 in his bid for the Rowan County Board of Commissioners.
Coltrain, one of five Democratic candidates in the race, leads all candidates in both in fundraising and spending. And his finance report reads like a who’s who of business and politics in Salisbury and much of the county.
His report of donations runs 69 pages. Coltrain went beyond the requirement to list donations of $50 or more. He reported donations of $25.
Among the donors are three members of the Salisbury City Council ó Paul Woodson Jr., $50; Mark Lewis, $150; and Mayor Susan Kluttz, $100.
Retired executives of Food Lion are among the donors. Tom Smith gave $1,000 and Ralph Ketner gave $100.
The mix of donors includes doctors, lawyers, longtime party activists and owners of a wide range of businesses, including beer distributorship owners and car dealerships.
Larry and Susan Cloninger, owners of Cloninger Toyota, gave $1,000; Brenda and Gerry Wood, owners of Gerry Wood Kia, $250; Thom and Beverly Dillard, owners of Team Chevrolet, $100; and Donald Clement III, president of Salisbury Motor Co., contributed $100.
Other notable contributors included: Bill Dover, $100; Hall Steele, $100; Nancy and Bill Stanback, $250; Don and Betty Conner, $100; Greg Alcorn, $500; Randy Reamer, $100; Michael W. Agee, $250; Summie Carter, $100; Paul E. Fisher Jr., $200; Gordon P. Hurley, $200; and Paul Weisler, $200.
Coltrain also reported loaning his campaign $1,000.
As of April 28, Coltrain reported spending $7,168.
Of the three county commissioner candidates who filed campaign finance reports, Carl Ford spent the least.
Ford, one of eight Republican candidates, reported spending $122.08, the fee to file for office. Ford reported raising $4,244.25.
Ford saved his yard signs and other campaign materials from prior campaigns.
Candidates who have thus far raised or spent less than $3,000 are not required to file a report.
Donna Peeler, also a Republican candidate, reported raising $4,285 thus far and spending $3,903.
Peeler’s contributors included Jean McCombs, widow of the late Rep. Eugene McCombs, $250; Sara Potts, director of the Rowan Housing Authority, $100; Amy Wilhelm, wife of Sheriff George Wilhelm, $100; Donnie Smith, contractor, $250; and Lawrence Behr, of Greenville, $200.
Peeler’s major expenditures included $921 with a Houston, Texas firm for yard signs; $1,019 with Brad Steen, of Rockwell, for T-shirts and $138 for membership in the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce. She also reported expenditures of between $50 and $60 for gas at various stations.
In leading all money categories, Coltrain came close to his effort in 2006, when he raised $23,048 before the primary.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254 or jburchette@salisburypost.com.