Spending shifts into high gear as Sioux Falls council election draws near

With two days before Sioux Falls voters head to the polls for Tuesday's election, candidates for the open Sioux Falls City Council seats have filed their final pre-election campaign finance disclosure report, showing how candidates have raised and spent funds between March 1 and April 1.

Unsurprisingly, the two competitive races have seen more activity than the Northwest and Southwest seats, which were decided in late February after only one candidate filed to run for each of them.

As for how much money will be spent in the days before the election, we won't know until April 25 — if either race goes to a runoff — or on June 12 if the election is cleaned up in a single round.

At-Large C

Banker Richard Thomason reported $15,304 in income during the cycle, including $1,000 each in donations from POET CEO Jeff Broin and his wife Tammie, $1,000 from First Premier Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse and a $3,000 contribution from Next Generation Leadership PAC, which is chaired by Mayor Paul TenHaken.

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Thomason reported $11,026.16 in expenses, almost entirely on advertising and consulting. His committee total stands at $33,356.27 as of April 4.

Community organizer Jordan Deffenbaugh reported $7,529.78 in donations during the cycle, including $1,389.78 in unitemized donations (those totaling less than $100), a $500 donation from former council candidate Jim Burzynski and $1,000 from Deffenbaugh Construction Inc.

Deffenbaugh reported $5,796.14 in expenses, mostly on signs, advertising and event expenses. He's got $3,175.10 remaining in his committee as of April 4.

Activist Allison Renville reported $3,540 in income for the cycle, though her report's itemized contributions added up to only $1,025, despite being listed at $1,525.

Renville's report also showed no expenses, nor an ending balance for her committee, making it unclear if she spent no money during the cycle or made an error in her filing. Renville, who on Friday was leading a march protesting the use of force by Sioux Falls police in an arrest last month, said in a text message, "Yeah, I just turned in what I had so far, and I'm gonna revise it when I get a chance with this march going on."

Northeast

Marketer Miranda Basye reported $8,720 in donations during the cycle, including $1,000 each from POET CEO Jeff Broin and his wife Tammie, a $500 donation from Councilor Alex Jensen, $250 from Councilor Curt Soehl's campaign committee and $2,500 from the South Dakota Realtors Political Action Committee.

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Basye reported $8,385.65 in expenses during the cycle, largely on advertising, printing and postage. She has $5,996.22 in her committee as of April 2.

Businessman Neil Jeske reported only $500 in income, from a Wyoming woman named Cathy Ide. But he also reported $4907.57 in donated goods and services from himself, as well as another $1,010 from Abundance Unlimited, a limited liability company that has him listed as its registered agent.

Jeske reported $544.04 in expenses, mostly on t-shirts and event expenses. He has $55.96 in his committee as of April 2.

David Zokaites, a regular at City Council meetings and a former candidate for mayor, continues to largely fund his campaign himself, with a $2,980 contribution from himself accounting for nearly all of the $3,035 he reported in donations during the cycle.

He cleared out his committee, reporting $3,035 in expenses as well, largely on advertising, though he said in a text message that there may have been some errors on his form, which showed different figures for expenses in several places.

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Northwest

Non-profit leader Jennifer Sigette — who will serve in the Northwest seat after the filing deadline passed without another candidate entering the race — showed a single donation during the cycle, a $500 contribution from the South Dakota Realtors Political Action Committee. She reported spending $185.85 on consulting, leaving her with $7,742.46 in her committee.

Southwest

Banker Ryan Spellerberg will fill the council's Southwest seat, where he was the only person to file for the race. He reported $1,535 in donations, largely from a $1,500 donation from the South Dakota Realtors Political Action Committee. He filed no expenses, leaving him with $15,533.66 in his committee.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Spending shifts into high gear as Sioux Falls council election draws near