LAKE COUNTY ? District 1 Supervisor candidate Jim Comstock said Friday he is confident in the financial support of his campaign from District 1 residents, and candidate Susanne La Faver touted her countywide support.
Comstock said the fact that approximately 33 percent of his campaign money came from outside of Lake County doesn”t bother him.
“The out of county contributors are all property owners here. They don”t live here full-time, but they own property beside us,” Comstock said.
La Faver collected 16 percent of her contributions from outside the county, and said that shows her ability to raise money for the county from outside sources.
“My reach is beyond just Lake County, and the opportunities we have are regionwide. I have a broader vision, and my contributions reflect that,” La Faver said.
Approximately 56 percent of Comstock”s campaign money came from contributors in District 1, and approximately 33 percent of La Faver”s campaign contributions came from the district.
“I would suspect those who made donations to me in District 1 would be voting for me. Fifty-six percent of my support is coming from the district,” Comstock said.
“I have a very low percentage of contributions from outside the county compared to my opponent. While I can bring influence from outside the county to benefit the citizens here, 83 percent of my money is from Lake County. These are the people who want me to be the supervisor,” La Faver said.
She said the fact that 33 percent of her contributions come from District 1, as opposed to 56 percent of Comstock”s, doesn”t worry her.
“Votes are what counts,” La Faver said.
Contributions from Lake County and outside District 1 make up approximately 11 percent of Comstock”s contributions and approximately half of La Faver”s.
Comstock said the fact that one of La Faver”s biggest supporters, Robert Riggs, is an attorney who represents developers, contractors and architects should level the playing field after he was publicly questioned for large contributions to his campaign from developers. Riggs contributed more than $7,000 to La Faver”s campaign, according to campaign finance reports obtained from the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office.
“If I am supported by developers, so is she. And that”s OK,” Comstock said.
Both candidates said they received smaller contributions that did not need to be reported, as long as the cumulative amount from a single contributor didn”t exceed $100.
“I value what my supporters were each able to contribute. That meant a commitment to my campaign,” La Faver said.
Both candidates started raising campaign funds early this year. Comstock collected $37,874.17 in campaign contributions as of the last reporting date on Oct. 18, according to campaign finance reports. La Faver collected $27,837.
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