VERO BEACH — All six candidates running for two seats on the Vero Beach City Council submitted treasury reports on time, showing two candidates with no funds in their accounts.
Both Brian Heady and Joseph Guffanti turned in blank reports because they are not accepting contributions.
Incumbent Dick Winger, who began campaigning over the summer, still has a strong lead in fundraising. Winger has raised $15,285, much of that from retired barrier island residents. Winger’s largest donation this reporting period, a $500 check came from south beach residents Eileen and Bill Lledholm
Newcomer Amelia Graves has raised $1,320, almost all of that donated by members of her extended family. Her largest contribution of $500 was from her grandfather, Hubert Graves Jr. Graves’ mother also contributed $100.
Incumbent Tracy Carroll’s account of $700 got a boost by way of a $500 donation from retired bank president Bill Curtis, who stood in for Carroll at last week’s Republican Evening Club candidate forum because she was out of town being honored by Leadership Florida.
Former Mayor Warren Winchester loaned himself $400 to cover filing fees and to open his campaign account, but he had not collected any donations as of the Sept. 13 closing date.
As for the Citizens for a Brighter Future political committee, documents provided by City Clerk Tammy Vock show all the funds raised for the March 12 Vero Beach electric sale referendum were spent and the committee has been disbanded.
It was formed in 2011 to support the passage of a referendum that permitted the city to lease the land under the Vero Beach Power Plant and run by utility activist and CPA Glenn Heran.
The closing documents of Citizens for a Brighter Future directly refute inaccurate reports based upon two-month old information that Heran would use the $39,000 he had remaining on June 30 to support Carroll’s re-election bid.
Heran told VeroNews.com and its sister publication Vero Beach 32963 in June that the money had already been spent on the March referendum and that he was simply waiting for invoices to come in from consultant Cornerstone Solutions and other vendors — yet speculation continued for months about how the PAC might use the nonexistent leftover cash. Heran had also stated that, even if he did have funds remaining, Citizens for a Brighter Future was an issue-only PAC and could not give money directly to candidates.
More than half of the $110,000 raised and spent by Citizens for a Brighter Future came from Florida Power and Light, the company in the midst of purchasing the Vero Beach electric utility.
The city-provided documents also revealed that on Sept. 19, Heran established a new Electioneering Communication Organization, but the first reporting period for contributions to the new group will be Oct. 4.
Finance reports are due every two weeks in October and the final day to accept contributions in the Nov. 5 Vero Beach municipal election is Oct. 31.
