Campaign Finance 2020: House District 45

By

Democrat Karlee Provenza won both a hotly contested primary and a hotly contested general to take Wyoming’s 45th House District. She will inherit the seat from its current holder, Rep. Charles Pelkey, who declined to run this cycle, instead endorsing Provenza.

Provenza’s opponent in the general election was Republican Roxie Hensley, the owner of Roxie’s on Grand in Downtown Laramie. The two candidates could scarcely be more different. Hensley is vocally right-wing and co-sponsored a militia-recruiting event in Albany County earlier this year. By contrast, Provenza entered the public eye as leader in the local fight for police accountability and reform.


In the wake of the police killing of Robbie Ramirez in 2018, Provenza and others formed Albany County for Proper Policing. ACoPP fought for the removal of Derek Colling, the sheriff’s deputy who shot Ramirez following a traffic stop as the victim fled for the safety of his home. ACoPP was unsuccessful in removing Colling, who is still employed with the Sheriff’s Department, but did play a role in ousting former Sheriff Dave O’Malley, who decried the police accountability organization in his resignation letter.


Drawing on data from the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office, the following is a breakdown of both campaigns’ contributions during the 2020 race for House District 45.


Karlee Provenza raised a total of $21,760.20 with an average donation of $128. Provenza spent $196.95 of her own money on her successful house bid. Her top donor was University of Wyoming Professor Donal O’Toole, who contributed $1,750 between Provenza’s primary and general campaigns. Her other top donors include individual residents both in and outside of Laramie, as well as labor, education, lawyer and public servant PACs. Rep. Cathy Connolly (D) ran unopposed in the 2020 general, allowing her candidate committee to support various other local democrats, including Provenza’s campaign, which received $1,500.


Roxie Hensley raised a total of $15,117.40, with an average donation of $351.57. Hensley spent none of her own money on her unsuccessful bid for the seat. Her top donors were official party organizations and Republican mega-donors, mainly from Jackson. Hensley also received $520 from anonymous sources.


Karlee Provenza (Democrat)


Raised: $21,760.20

Spent: $21,101.65

Average Donation: $128

Own Money: $196.95


Contribution Breakdown:

            $1,500         Candidate Committee

            $2,100         Federal/Out-of-State PAC

            $211              Immediate family/personal

            $13,913.25    Individual

            $3,550           Wyoming PAC

            $485.95         In-Kind Contributions


Top Donors:

            $1,750           Donal O’Toole, a University of Wyoming professor

            $1,500           Connolly For House

                + $100       Rep. Cathy Connolly, personally

            $1,300           Linda Devine, a Laramie attorney

            $1,200           WEA PACE, the political arm of the Wyoming Education Association

            $1,000           Wyoming AFL-CIO, a local branch of the AFL-CIO union federation

            $1,000           Mary Unger, a resident of San Anselmo, California

            $1,000           Jennifer Martin, a resident of Rock Springs and retired school librarian

            $600              Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen PAC, a railroad workers’ union

            $500              Pete Gardiner, a local and politically active iconoclast

            $500             Cowgirl Run Fund, a PAC that supports women running in Wyoming

            $500             FFFWY FIRE PAC, the political arm of the Federated Firefighters of Wyoming

            $500             Wyoming Public Employees Association PAC, which represents state employees

            $500             Smart-TD PAC, the political arm of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and

                                  Transportation Workers’ Transportation Division

            $500             Scott Henkel, a UW professor and Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research director


Roxie Hensley (Republican)


Raised: $15,117.40

Spent: $14,063.27

Average Donation: $351.57

Own Money: $0


Contribution Breakdown:

            $250            Federal/Out-of-State PAC

            $901.40       Immediate family/personal

            $8,321         Individual

            $150            Wyoming County PAC

            $2,000         Wyoming County Party

            $400            Wyoming PAC

            $2,500         Wyoming State Party

            $75              In-Kind Contributions

            $520            Anonymous


Top Donors:

            $2,500        The Republican State Party

            $2,000        The Crook County Republican Party

            $3,000        Dan and Carleen Brophy, ultra-conservative Jackson mega-donors

            $1,500        John McQuillan, a “hard-right, Tea Party guy” and GOP mega-donor

            $961.70      Deb Forey, possible misspelling of Deb Forry, who did not return a call

            $600           Tom and Karen Schmidt, local residents

            $520           Anonymous



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stalder downplays connection to Maximus Bossarei despite close ties

By
Image
Laramie City Councilor denies ‘ownership interests’ in select properties, calls landlord a ‘friend’ 1111 East Flint Street, o ne of Bossarei's rental properties. (Photo credit: Jeff Victor) Local landlord Maximus Bossarei was notorious among Laramie’s renting population even before the publication of a lengthy investigative feature detailing the many allegations of mistreatment brought against him. Since the story’s publication, fresh tales of mistreatment have come to light — more stories of unreturned deposits, threats and dismal living conditions. One former tenant shared how raw sewage leaked into their apartment from the unit above for weeks with no reprieve, and how the strain of being Bossarei’s tenants drove her husband and her to marriage counseling. Another shared how he eventually had to let go of his anger and let Bossarei keep the entirety of his stimulus check, believing the landlord would never, or could never, be brought to justice. The original feature — as well as
Read more

Stalder denied working for Bossarei, signed document suggesting otherwise

By
Image
Bill of deposit signature shows city councilor represented landlord’s company, MRBE Management Travis Rainey's bill of deposit, with Stalder's signature. Laramie City Councilor Jessica Stalder has represented herself as working for Maximus Bossarei’s company, MBRE Management, to at least one of his former tenants. When Travis Rainey moved into the Third Street property formerly known as the Xenion Motel, he signed a bill of deposit proving his payment of $1,200 to MBRE Management. Stalder’s signature is on the signature line provided for the company representative. This directly contradicts a public statement she made, distancing herself from the landlord , in which she explicitly states she does not “work for him or his company.” “For her to pretend to be ignorant to their business actions is disgraceful,” Rainey said. “For her to lie about not profiting from the suffering of me and many other Laramie residents is disgraceful.” In January, the Laramie Boomerang published a le
Read more

Dave O’Malley no longer Sheriff of Albany County

By
Image
Once hailed as progressive reformer, O’Malley decries ‘anti-cop rhetoric’ of local activists in resignation letter Dave O’Malley resigned from his elected post as Albany County Sheriff this week, more than a month before his originally planned retirement and almost two years before the end of his term. The resignation was made official Monday during a meeting of the Albany County Commission and comes after two years of intense and sustained public scrutiny over the handling of a police-involved killing in 2018. “I fully realize that there is a sector of our community who believes I have made some poor decisions,” O’Malley writes in his resignation letter. “I also understand that there are many who remain supportive of me and our Office. I have enjoyed an exemplary career until recently and much of that is fraught with misconception and misinformation.” On Nov. 4, 2018, Albany County Sheriff’s Deputy Derek Colling shot Robbie Ramirez three times, twice in the back, following a traffic s
Read more