First Ward Ansonia Alderman and mayoral candidate Edward Adamowksi more than doubled Mayor David Cassetti’s fundraising haul in the past three months, according to disclosure forms filed at City Hall.
Adamowski also had more than 10 times Cassetti’s cash on hand heading into the last month of the campaign, though the mayor said he’s raised thousands in the weeks since the last filing deadline.
Adamowski says the numbers demonstrate a wide support base as he tries to unseat Cassetti, the first Republican to sit in the mayor’s chair this century.
“If you look at the numbers, I believe I’m burying him as far as the fundraising goes,” Adamowski said. “That speaks volumes.”
The mayor said the numbers that really count will be the ballot totals come Nov. 3.
“It’s going to be a close race. It’s going to be a tough race,” Cassetti said. “But I’m sure we’ll prevail.”
A Look At The Numbers
Between July 1 and Sept. 30, Cassetti raised $4,650 in contributions from individuals, according to the disclosure filings.
In the same period, Adamowski raised $10,936.25.
The mayor had also raised $2,360 in contributions between April 1 and June 30, before Adamowski had declared his candidacy.
Heading into the home stretch of the election campaign, Adamowski had $5,001.25 in cash on hand Sept. 30.
Cassetti’s campaign had $377.12.
Following The Money
Individual donors to each campaign are posted at the bottom of this story.
Adamowski’s contributions come in large part through small donations from Democrats in Ansonia and throughout the area. He also kicked in $250 himself.
Of his total fundraising haul, only two donations came from outside Connecticut — for a total of $341.75.
Meanwhile, of the $7,010 Cassetti’s campaign has raised this year, $6,000 came in the form of six $1,000 donations — the maximum an individual can give to a mayoral candidate by law.
Only one of those was local — from William Nimons, the president of the Board of Education and the city’s finance director.
Wallingford’s Jay Jayanthan, the chairman of Prime AE Group, an engineering firm once used by the WPCA that currently does work for the city, also gave the mayor’s campaign $1,000, as did another person living at Jayanthan’s home.
A Columbus, OH-based engineer who works for Prime AE also gave the mayor $1,000, as did individuals in Endicott City, MD and Dublin, OH.
The Valley Indy sent the city a Freedom of Information request Wednesday asking for copies of Prime’s contracts with the city.
Sheila O’Malley, the city’s grant writer and director of economic development, said the firm does business with the city.
“They have some pre-existing contracts with the city that we inherited,” she said. “We’ve extended some of those and they’ve done some small projects.”
The firm started working for Derby after Mayor Anita Dugatto was elected there.
Adamowski said he hadn’t yet read all the details of the mayor’s campaign filings.
“I don’t care what they do to be honest,” Adamowski said. “The way I’m running this is I’m focusing on what I’ve got to do, what my goals are, what I have to accomplish.”
Party Activity
The town committees of each party have also been active.
The Republican Town Committee took in $6,454 in donations from individuals between July 1 and Sept. 30 and also took in $2,496 fundraising during a Seymour pumpkin festival.
In the same period the RTC spent $10,981.09, the biggest chunk of which — $9,677.84 — went to Ever Ready Press for campaign materials.
The RTC had $918.76 on hand going into the last month of the campaign.
Article continues after RTC filing.
Ansonia RTC October 2015 Filing
The Democrats took in $2,070 in contributions from individuals, its only fundraising between July 1 and Sept. 30.
In that period the DTC spent $3,868.06. The biggest expenses were $1,050 to Molto Bene for fundraisers, $877.84 for liability insurance, $600 in rent for their East Main Street headquarters, $500 to the Vinci Group for consulting work, and $442 to state Democrats for access to a voter file.
The DTC has $3,172.42 on hand going into the last month of the campaign.
The DTC filing is below.
Ansonia DTC October 2015 Filing
Campaign Spending, Impact?
Adamowski said the numbers prove his candidacy should give the mayor cause for worry.
“The fundraising part is just basically showing a support group that I have around me, and the people who really want me to win this thing,” Adamowski said. “They believe in what I stand for and what I’m trying to accomplish with the city.”
Adamowski said his campaign consists mostly of door-to-door canvassing. He said said he’s been to about 1,000 homes as of Wednesday (Oct. 14) and planned to hit every door in the city by Nov. 3.
His campaign’s biggest expenditures have been nearly $5,000 in payments to the Vinci Group, a Manchester-based political consultancy.
The campaign cut checks to Vinci for $2,657.95 and $2,1189.23 last month.
Adamowski said the consultants have been helping with fundraising, identifying voters, and honing his message.
“It’s kind of all of the above,” he said.
The campaign’s other expenses included $600 in rent for its headquarters on East Main Street, $601.17 to Molto Bene on Wakelee Avenue for food and drinks, and $98.15 to Kevin Blake to buy refreshments for a meet the candidate event.
Meanwhile, the mayor’s biggest expenses — more than $7,000 — have been for signs and other campaign literature.
Cassetti’s campaign paid Clinfton Avenue’s Ever Ready Press $3,913.68 Sept. 2 and $3,630.79 Sept. 18 for lawn signs and advertising.
The campaign paid $3,000 Sept. 30 to Copper City Marketing, a Granite Terrace business, to produce a mailer, the “Ansonia Sentinel,” delivered to every residential address in the city.
The campaign spent $1,393.73 on postage, $546.78 on phone and internet, $78.69 for office equipment, and also paid $187.50 to a local handyman for repair work and “improvements to campaign signs.”
Asked whether the bigger totals shown in Adamowski’s campaign filings gave him any worries, Cassetti said no.
The treasurer of Cassetti’s campaign, John Marini, who also works as the city’s corporation counsel, said the mayor has raised more money since the Sept. 30 disclosure deadline.
“More funds have come in since then,” Marini said. “There’s no concern about finances.”
“Also, remember, the mayor’s campaign has already spent a good amount in terms of mass mailings, signs,” Marini went on. “The Democrats have really yet to make any investment beyond signs in the campaign.”
Cassetti said he’s hit about 1,400 doors throughout the city.
That’s about 3,600 to go by Nov. 3, he said.
The mayor said he’s optimistic for the election given the reactions he’s gotten from voters.
“I’m out there. At night and on weekends,” Cassetti said. “People like what’s happened the last two years.”
The following people gave money to “Cassetti For Mayor 2015.”
Name
Occupation
Town
Amount
Donald Smith Jr.
Self-employed engineer
Seymour
$50
Joseph Ubaldi
Retired
Waterbury
$100
Benjamin Proto
Attorney
Stratford
$125
David Divincenzo
Self-employed, sales
Ansonia
$50
Jay Jayanthan
Chairman, Prime AE Group
Wallingford
$1,000
Shanthin Jayanthan
No occupation listed
Wallingford
$1,000
Greg Martin
Vintage Baseball Factory
Ansonia
$35
William Nimons
Finance Director, City of Ansonia
Ansonia
$1,000
Alan Schpero
Retired
Fairfield
$100
Douglas Novak
Director of Public Works, City of Ansonia
Milford
$200
Irving Reed
Quality Manager, Material Testing Inc.
Ansonia
$285
Nanthini Balakrishnan
IT Specialist, Social Security Administration
Ellicott City, MD
$1,000
Ranjan Manoranjan
Engineer, Prime AE Group
Columbus, OH
$1,000
Sujatha Nair
Data Analyst, Doctors Consulting Services
Dublin, OH
$1,000
Joanne Czeczot
Senior Administrative Assistant, Yale University
$100
Amy Jalowiec
Teacher, West Haven
Ansonia
$250
John Izzo Jr.
Property Manager, O, R, & L Facility Services
Ansonia
$450
Patricia Fers
Paralegal Specialist, state Department of Children and Families
Ansonia
$50
Alexandra Caruso
Retired
Ansonia
$100
Edward Caruso
Retired
Ansonia
$100
The following people gave money to “Adamowski For Mayor 2015.”
Eileen Krugel
Grant Writer, City of West Haven
Ansonia
$150
Linda Gentile
Legislator, State of Connecticut
Ansonia
$100
Anita Dugatto
Dentist
Derby
$100
Frances Lee
Nurse
Stratford, St. Vincent’s Special Needs
$1,000
Michael Tracz
Mechanic, Tracey’s Garage
Derby
$100
Roy Vacca
Retired
Ansonia
$100
Anthony DeLucia
Manager, Pack All Inc.
Ansonia
$150
Bart Flaherty
Retired
Ansonia
$200
Robert Zuraw
Retired
Ansonia
$100
Robert Pettinella
Self-employed, Pettinella Painting
Oxford
$100
Jason Pardy
Self-employed, BounceTown USA
Ansonia
$250
Edward Adamowski
Retired
Ansonia
$1,000
Charlotte Adamowski
Retired
Ansonia
$1,000
George Curtis
Retired
Ansonia
$100
James Hubbard
Retired
Ansonia
$100
Richard Lieder
HVAC Technician, Sippin Energy
Seymour
$100
Brittany Shortell
Ocean Department, Pace
Ansonia
$100
Dan Mudry
Fryer Corp.
Ansonia
$100
Elizabeth Lynch
Town Clerk, City of Ansonia
Ansonia
$200
Craig Smart
Firefighter, Town of Hamden
Ansonia
$100
Albert Breda
Service Manager, Sippin Energy
Shelton
$100
Maryanne Mangano
Retired
Orange
$100
Clifford Hoyle
Attorney
Ansonia
$100
Rita VicDomino
Retired
Ansonia
$100
William Kochiss
HVAC Sales, Sippin Energy
Orange
$100
Nona Gould
Retired
Venice, FL
$100
Robert Coughlin
Maintenance, City of Derby
Ansonia
$100
Milagros Rios
Office Manager, H & R Block
Ansonia
$100
Fran DiGiorgi
Retired
Ansonia
$100
John Dantona
Police Commander, Town of Seymour
Derby
$100
Joseph Matusovich IV
Detective, Town of Seymour
Oxford
$100
James Sheehy
Attorney
Ansonia
$300
Xhemil Koliani
Accountant, Cohn Reznick LLP
Beacon Falls
$100
Peter Marcinko
Service Manager, Sterling Security Systems
Ansonia
$200
Peter Burness
Retired
Meriden
$200
Joseph Shortell
Retired
Ansonia
$150
Louis Uvino Jr.
911 Operator, Southwest Regional Communications
Ansonia
$110
Kevin Tingley
Chemist, Clean Harbors
Naugatuck
$60
Dorian Lockett
Policy Advisor, CT General Assemby
West Hartford
$60
Samuel Meshberg
Retired
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
$241.25
Rita St. Jacques
Sewer Administrator, City of Ansonia
Ansonia
$100
Florence Camilleri
Retired
Ansonia
$75
Ann Marie Caporale
Retired
Ansonia
$75
