Despite $88K in War Chest, Drew Taking 3rd Party Rival Seriously

With municipal elections less than four weeks away, Mayor Dan Drew has raised more than $87,000 for his re-election bid — in a campaign against a third-party opponent with less than $1,000 in his coffers.

"It's an honor when someone donates money and I'm honored by the support," Drew, a Democrat, said. "You have to earn the trust of the people to govern effectively and you should never take any election for granted."

Middletown's Republican, Democrat and Realistic Balance parties and independent candidates had until 4:30 p.m. Thursday to file their finance disclosure statements. Candidates who earn less than $1,000 in contributions are exempt from filing detailed disclosures in Connecticut.

Drew said some have asked him why he needs political donations for a campaign against a minor party candidate. "You should never take any election for granted. I don't think anyone is a shoe-in in an election. You have to be able to reach out to people and that takes some resources."

Supporters who have told him to "stay home and rest" instead of campaigning for mayor "is not the right attitude," Drew said. "I've seen candidates in other races lose that way."

John Kilian, who's running for mayor on the Realistic Balance slot, is funding his campaign personally and declined to say how much he's gathered but did say he's received far more publicity than he anticipated for his campaign.

He's filed suit in Middletown Superior Court, hoping to convince a judge on Oct. 15 to reinstate four third-party candidates to the November ballot in a disagreement with the city's town clerk over a filing discrepancy that's reverberating across the state.

Kilian agrees with his opponent that the amount of funds Drew has raised doesn't necessarily guarantee him votes. "I think it gives you an advantage but at some point money can't buy votes. There's a saturation after a while which gives you diminishing returns."

Drew gathered $24,710 in the last three months in political donations from dozens of supporters, ranging in size from $20 to $1,000, which when factoring in expenditures, leaves him with $52,084. 

The Democrat has hosted a number of fundraisers this election season, including a high-profile one Oct. 1 which featured Ted Kennedy Jr., son of the late Senator and Wesleyan University graduate, at the Inn at Middletown. 

Democrats running for city council, board of education and other seat received $2,675 in individual political donations from individuals in the last 90 days, while Republicans garnered $6,266 in contributions.

Stephen Devoto, a Democrat who's running for planning and zoning on the Working Families and Realistic Balance party lines, has raised $200 to date and has spent $1,150, mostly for signs and office supplies.

Both Realistic Balance candidates, Republicans Joseph Bibisi and Phil Pessina are funding their campaigns personally and will not exceed $1,000, according to their paperwork. Pessina is also on the Working Families slate.

Last quarter, Drew picked up $61,920 in political contributions for his war chest, according to forms filed in the town's clerk office by treasurer Lisa Santangelo.

Figures for the campaign finance reporting period that began April 1 and ended July 10 show Drew raised $21,587. From the Jan. 1 to March 31 reporting period, Drew raised $30,508.

Election day is Nov. 5.