The latest campaign finance reports for the Derby mayoral race show incumbent Anthony Staffieri has built a sizable local war chest, and that challenger Anita Dugatto is looking toward professional advisers to help her campaign.
Dugatto’s biggest expense so far is payments to Marty Dunleavy, a former political consultant for Joseph Lieberman.
Dugatto spent $3,750 on consulting fees for Dunleavy between June and October, according to the Oct. 10 campaign finance reports.
Dugatto is trailing far behind incumbent Mayor Anthony Staffieri in terms of fundraising — with only 50 cents for every dollar he’s raised so far.
Dunleavy is a former New Haven Alderman who has worked on Democratic campaigns for Joseph Lieberman and Ted Kennedy, according to a CT Mirror article from last year.
Dugatto said Dunleavy’s services include candidate training for Dugatto and other members of the Democratic Town Committee. Dunleavy has also re-tweeted five of her posts since being hired.
“He’s offered his extensive experience,” Dugatto said. “It’s a very intelligent race and we are just trying to get there to do the right job.”
“He is very concise on how to get the vote out,” Dugatto said. “That is basically our focus this year, to reach every voter and have them have a strong propensity to go to the polls for us.”
Staffieri, in response to a question about the consultant, said in an e‑mail statement: “I believe in local, grassroots support. I listen to the people of Derby first and foremost and I look to my friends and supporters in Derby primarily to help guide my campaign.”
Dugatto also spent $300 on media training from Foxford Communications in Stratford.
Dugatto said she is also leaning on Vincent Tonucci, a Derby resident and former state representative, who is the campaign manager and adviser.
The Numbers
As of the Oct. 10 report, Staffieri’s campaign had raised a total of $36,800, while Dugatto’s campaign had raised a total of $15,939.25. Staffieri has almost three times the amount of donations coming from individual donors compared to Dugatto.
Dugatto said she couldn’t comment on Staffieri’s fundraising efforts, as she hadn’t seen them as of Saturday.
“I’m just concentrating on my own campaign, and we’re moving forward,” Dugatto said.
Staffieri, in an e‑mail statement, said the numbers show that people “support the job that my administration and I are doing.”
“They see Derby moving in the right direction and they want to help me continue to do the right things for Derby,” Staffieri’s statement said.
Staffieri’s fundraising efforts include about $29,300 in individual contributions and $7,500 purchased in an advertising book.
Dugatto’s coffers include about $10,489 in individual contributions and a $5,300 loan from Dugatto to the campaign.
Dugatto said she loaned the campaign money to help pay for fundraisers before she had received donations. She’ll have the option of whether to pay herself back, depending on how much money she takes in.
Staffieri Fundraising
Staffieri’s biggest donor is the Connecticut Association of Optometrists, which donated $1,000 to his campaign. Staffieri has given $600 to his own campaign, and Joseph A. Rodriguez of Oxford has given $500 since the start of the campaign.
Rodriguez owns the McDonald’s restaurant on Division Street in Derby. Staffieri described him as a close personal friend. Five of Rodriguez’s businesses donated another $1,000 to Staffieri’s campaign through the advertising book as well.
Staffieri also took in advertisements from several companies in Derby and around the state.
The following Derby companies took out advertising in Staffieri’s ad book:
- Derby Water St. LLC,
- Imco
- F. Pepe Construction
The following are all of Staffieri’s donors since the campaign started.
Dr. Anita For Mayor Fundraising
Dugatto’s biggest contribution has come in aggregate from Frank Cirino, who listed his occupation as “retired.” Cirino has given $512 over five donations.
Marjorie Shansky, a New Haven land use attorney, is Dugatto’s second biggest donor, with a single $500 donation given to Dugatto’s campaign during the first filing period.
The following are all of Dugatto’s donations since the start of the campaign.
Browse a Google Fusion Table with more Valley campaign contributions here.
Common Ground
Dugatto and Staffieri have both received contributions from contractor Frank Pepe and Philip Marcucio, who owned Marcucio Gardens on Route 34 in Derby until his retirement earlier this year.
Marcucio donated $300 to Staffieri’s campaign and $150 to Dugatto’s campaign.
Pepe donated $200 to Staffieri’s campaign and $350 to Dugatto’s campaign.
Other Valley leaders also donated to the Derby campaigns.
Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti donated another $75, on top of the $25 he donated to Staffieri in the first campaign filing period. Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller donated $100 to Staffieri’s campaign.
Meanwhile, Staffieri donated $200 to Lauretti’s campaign, while donating $600 to his own re-election bid.
Spending
As of Oct. 10, Staffieri had $12,555.90 and Dugatto had $6,810.90 still unspent.
While Dugatto’s biggest expense so far has been her consulting fees to Dunleavy, Staffieri has shelled out the most money on fundraisers and calendars.
Staffieri’s campaign has spent $24,244.10 on everything from stamps to paying singing hot dog vendor Mark Lanzieri $50 to provide entertainment at a July fundraiser.
The two biggest expenses were $7,940 for campaign calendars and $5,418 to host a fundraiser at the Villa Bianca in Seymour.
The Staffieri campaign has also doled out $15 for a Facebook ad, and about $280 for seven campaign cell phones.
Dugatto’s campaign has spent $9,128 as of Oct. 10.
Dugatto’s second largest expense was $1,269 for an August fundraiser at Molto Bene in Ansonia.
Valley Donations
Derby is the state’s smallest city, but its race for mayor generates more money than neighboring Valley towns.
Dugatto alone has raised more money than both top candidates in Shelton have raised combined — and Staffieri, like he has in the past, blows everybody out of the water.
Mayor Mark Lauretti has raised only $4,475. The Democratic Town Committee, which is raising money for challenger Dave Gioiello, has raised $7,442 since June.
Meanwhile in Ansonia, Mayor James Della Volpe has raised $7,615 since June for his re-election campaign.
