With a little more than two weeks until Election Day (Nov. 8), incumbent Mayor Anthony Staffieri has raised more money than his opponent Dan Foley, Jr., according to the latest round of campaign disclosure reports.
According to filings that were due Oct. 10, Staffieri, a Republican, received $18,046 from individual contributors.
Foley, a Democrat, received $15,490.33 from individual contributors.
Disclosure forms for both campaigns are posted at the end of this article.
Staffieri’s campaign — “Staffieri for Mayor” — spent $17,308.52 as of Sept. 30. They had $7,137.48 available to spend.
Foley’s campaign — “Foley for Mayor – 2011” — spent $11,674.39 as of Oct. 3. They had $4,421.94 available to spend.
The Staffieri-Foley contest is a rematch of the 2009 election, which saw Staffieri defeat the challenger by 411 votes.
Foley’s fund-raising efforts are a huge improvement over his 2009 numbers, when he had raised just $9,468 by the end of October.
Staffieri’s Top Donors
According to the Oct. 10 filing, Staffieri’s largest individual donors are:
Susan Giordano, owner of Whitey’s Marina in Derby. The Shelton resident has donated $500.
Sabatino Pollastro, Jr., a former member of the Board of Alderman and an alternate on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals who now lists his residential address as Seymour, donated $500.
David Zitnay, a teacher in Bridgeport who lives in Derby, donated $450.
William Walsh, the Hamden resident who owns Walsh Fence, LLC, donated $450.
Ray Sadlik, a developer who lives in Derby, donated $400. As of Oct. 18, Sadlik has a proposal for a four-lot subdivision at 35 Belleview Drive pending in front of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. A zone change for the land was approved in February. Note — individuals donating more than $400 have to disclose whether they have a contract with the city valued at more than $5,000. An application for development is not a contract with the city.
Frank Pelaccia, an employee of the Derby Department of Public Works, has donated $425.
Foley’s Top Donors
A review of the Foley team’s donations show the top donors are:
Anita Dugatto, a dentist on Elizabeth Street an a member of city’s tax board, donated $1,000.
Maureen Foley, the candidate’s wife, donated $759.13.
Mary Pannone, a paraprofessional in the Seymour school district, donated $575.
Michael McFarland, a veteran of Derby politics who is advising Foley, donated $420 while his wife, Georgette, donated $500.
Sheila Parizo, the head of the Derby Democratic Party, donated $412.50.
Of note in Foley’s campaign is the support he has from family members of Ken Hughes, the president of the Derby Board of Alderman.
Hughes is a Republican who is running for re-election with Staffieri.
However, his younger brother and the mayor’s sons had a falling out over the ownership of Connie’s, the former restaurant they owned together on Elizabeth Street.
A civil lawsuit brought by Jeffrey Hughes against the Staffieri sons — and the mayor — is pending in Superior Court in Milford.
Foley received small individual donations from several members of the Hughes family, including the Republican Alderman’s mother, father and brother.
Hughes himself donated to Staffieri’s campaign.
Donations to Foley’s campaign:
Donations to Staffieri’s campaign:
