Donations shed light on who's running for school board

Most school board candidates aren't raking in top dollar this campaign season, with the No. 1 recipient reporting $16,000 so far compared to $50,000 for one Hillsborough County Commission candidate.

Still, knowing who cares enough about a candidate to back them with cash can help all voters decide how to cast their ballots. That's especially true in a time when money is tight: Candidates this year are lamenting a recession-driven reluctance to give.

Three of the school board's seven seats are up for election this fall. All three incumbents are among the 10 candidates in the running. Seven have filed campaign finance forms. Many say they'll have much more to report by the next deadline, July 23, the last one before early voting starts Aug. 9.

Here's a breakdown of who's giving:

District 2: Incumbent Candy Olson raised $7,195 by the last reporting deadline, in April, and she estimates her next report will show a campaign total of $15,000-$20,000.

Her opponent, Frank Hernandez, hasn't filed yet but he estimates his next report will total $3,000.

"I knew going in it was going to be smaller donations," said Hernandez, 29, director of government affairs for the University of South Florida's Division of Student Affairs.

He welcomes $10, $20 donations and said he tells supporters he'll take any help - even if it's only to put up campaign signs or hand out fliers.

Olson, 63, is seeking a fifth four-year term on the board. She reported 42 contributions, 26 of them for $100 or more.

She is her own biggest contributor, kicking in nearly $3,000. Other top contributors include Tampa car dealership owner Jim Ferman; and architect Sol Fleischman.

District 4: Incumbent Jennifer Faliero, 47, of Valrico, is hoping to land a third term on the school board in a race against three challengers.

She didn't file an April report but said her next report will show about $4,000.

Faliero enjoyed support from district administrators in her previous campaigns, including in 2006, when she received contributions from budget director Gretchen Saunders, student placement director Bill Person, assistant superintendent Dan Valdez, deputy superintendent Ken Otero and chief facilities officer Cathy Valdes.

This time around, "people are telling me they're not getting involved," she said, mainly because of the appearance of a potential conflict of interest when an employee gives money to the boss, Faliero said.

Challenger Richard Bartels showed two contributions on his April report, $1,000 from him and $105 from his wife and campaign manager, Karen Marcos.

Bartels, 61, a retired principal who has been endorsed by the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, estimates he'll report total contributions of $3,000 by the next deadline.

"It's really hard," said Marcos, a retired teacher, who heads up her husband's fundraising.

Challenger Kirk Faryniasz reported a single $500 contribution, his own money, but said "the last couple of weeks, we've done pretty well."

"People are watching every dollar closely," said Faryniasz, 54, of Riverview, a part-time merchandiser for Lindt Swiss Chocolate company who ran unsuccessfully for the state House of Representatives in 2008.

Valrico pharmacist Stacy White reported $2,540 in contributions in April, 12 of them for $100 or more, but estimates he now has roughly $10,000.

He reported one $500 donation from a political action committee, the Hillsborough County Agricultural PAC, reflecting his deep roots in the district, the 38-year-old fifth-generation south county resident said.

District 6: Challenger Terry Kemple jumped to an early lead in campaign contributions, reporting $16,100 in April compared to $3,024 for incumbent April Griffin.

Griffin, 41, of Temple Terrace, is seeking her second term on the board and said she will report about $16,000 in contributions by the next deadline. Her donors include Iron Workers Local 397, the Hillsborough County Agricultural PAC, and retired principal Manuel Duran.

Challengers Benjamin Fink, 34, a Tampa software consultant, and Sally Harris, 60, also of Tampa, have not filed reports. Fink estimates he has about $2,000 to report soon and Harris said she has raised about $6,000, including a loan she needed to qualify to run.

Harris is an occupational specialist and preschool and summer camp operator.

Kemple, 63, of Brandon, president of the Christian-based Community Issues Council, said he has benefitted from the generosity of friends at church and in the community.

Kemple expects to report a total of $27,000 in contributions by the July 23 deadline.

Fifty-three of Kemple's 63 contributions are for $100 or more, and 20 are for $500 or more.

He received $300 from Orlando personal injury attorney John Stemberger, president of the conservative Florida Family Policy Council, whose interests tend to attract campaign money and votes, political analysts say.

Other top Kemple contributors include Bart Azzarelli of Dallas 1 Construction and Development in Thonotosassa; Mary Ott Wood of Plant City, president of Florida West Coast Credit Union; and 411 Communications of Tampa, a consulting firm whose clients have included Attorney General Bill McCollum and former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized a campaign contribution by Connie Milito to incumbent Candy Olson in the race for the Hillsborough School Board District 2 seat. Milito, the school district's lobbyist, contributed $50 to Olson.