, released a new article that uncovers some interesting campaign finance numbers as of mid September.
The candidates raised $66,947.43 and spent $37,781.90 through Sept. 15.
93% of that money was raised by three of the five candidates.
Ron Bellus and Dawn Brimhall are showing less financial support with approximately $4,500 raised.
(Blake) Sacha recently asked the Maricopa County Elections Department to investigate Bellus, who had 280 signs around the town and only claimed to have spent $700 on them. Bellus said he had made a clerical error and amended the amount to $1,307.
Clerical error?
If Ron Bellus is unable to account for such a small sum of money ($1,300), is he capable of dealing with much larger budgets required for Gilbert Public Schools, which amounts to over $300 million?
In addition, we researched the Internet to obtain some prices for campaign signs (you can also do this in Google using search terms: “campaign signs”). If you buy in bulk, 200 2ft x 2ft signs at about $5 per sign, which equates to $1,000 and 80 4ft x 4 ft signs are about $14 for each sign, equating to $1,120. For 280 signs (200 2×2 and 80 4×4) amounts to: $1,000 + $1,120 = $2,120. This does not include the re-bar required to put up the signs and we are already nearly $1000.00 over than what Mr. Bellus claims he actually raised.
Is anyone able to find signs at this price?
Does Ron have friends willing to donate signs at almost 50% below market value? If so is this difference reportable as campaign contributions?
The owner of the sign company in question did indirectly offer an explanation in a Facebook post.
Are budget skills part of the job description?
Now this got us a little concerned. During the LD12 Republican Forum, the moderator asked the candidates what they think is the single biggest issue facing the district. 4 of the 5 candidates answered that it was the budget. The lone person who was not too concerned about the budget was Mr. Bellus. What is he more concerned about? Here’s how he put it in AZ Central:
“The single most important thing that this school district and this board in particular is facing is the fact that we have two members of the board who think it’s their responsibility and their only responsibility to hire a superintendent, get out of the way, and let her do the work.”
The district is facing major financial shortfalls and he is more concerned about what Jill Humpherys and Lily Tram are doing? In his response to the question in the LD12 Forum was a dismissive “everybody has to deal with the budget” and essentially it is not a big deal.
A $300 million plus budget with over $7 million deficit and Mr. Bellus is more concerned about Mrs. Humpherys and Mrs. Tram’s management style.
We wonder if this is how he treated his own financial situation that landed him in financial hot water.
In corporate America and other institutions with a large budget like Gilbert Public Schools, an executive, a board member or any individual that will handle the organization’s financials (accountant, auditor, etc.) will have to go through an extensive background check including, but not limited to a review of the individuals financial and credit background.
Mr. Bellus wants to a seat on the board of an organization that as we mentioned runs an operating budget of over $300 million. And we’ve learned that Mr. Bellus faced some financial difficulties in the early part of the last decade that resulted in him and his wife filing for bankruptcy sometime in 2004.
Now everyone has had their share of financial difficulties and a bankruptcy in itself is not a bad thing. Sometimes it is necessary for an individual to have a fresh start and get his/her legs back underneath him. Key is hopefully the experience will help the individual learn from his/her mistakes and be more prudent financially.
What have us worried is that despite all the rhetoric of being fiscally responsible, Mr. Bellus so far has failed to show that he is so. The “clerical error” and his nonchalant attitude towards the district’s massive budget and now pair them with his financial background make us wonder if he is indeed qualified to oversee Gilbert Public Schools’ massive budget and if he can indeed fulfill his promise to “Keep Money in the Classrooms.“
Gilbert Public School Board Observer 