Race for Delta trustee seats is drawing a crowd

A race that historically attracts few candidates who raise little if any money has this year brought in 13 challengers, a handful of whom have each raised tens of thousands of dollars in contributions.

Candidates for four open San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustee seats reported raising as little as nothing, to as much as $23,000 during the two-and-a-half weeks between Oct. 1 and 18.

Up for grabs are four seats representing different parts of the 2,200-square-mile community college district.

All Tracy-south San Joaquin County Area 6 candidates — school lunch supervisor Carolyn Gamino, incumbent Greg McCreary and university administrator Teresa Brown — reported having raised nothing the entire year.

McCreary donated $500 to fellow candidate Mary Ann Cox, a retired Delta dean running for central Stockton Area 2 who pulled in $9,970 this month and $31,834 overall, mostly from individual donors. She spent $9,935.61 on advertising.

Cox received more money from Delta faculty and other school employees than any other candidate. The Stockton native worked at the school for 27 years.

She borrowed $12,000 from a Stockton real estate agent, $5,000 of it this past filing period. Most of her donations came from individuals in amounts ranging from $100 to $1,000.

Running against Cox for the seat of longtime trustee and current board president Leo Burke are accountant of 25 years Thomas LaBounty, real estate agent Gregory Benigno, Stockton attorney David Rishwain and warehouseman-Delta graduate Motecuzoma Sanchez, who unsuccessfully ran for Stockton mayor in the June primary.

LaBounty and Benigno reported no donations.

Sanchez reportedly raised $2,853 this month and $3,843 overall. He spent all but $55 of his earnings on a fund-raiser and promotional fliers, brochures, cards and signs. Local unions donated $1,700 to him, the Democratic Central Committee gave him $250 and the rest came from individuals.

Rishwain kept his fundraising lead, to date collecting $72,765 — $23,095.51 of that in October. The longtime Stockton lawyer reported most of his donations from real estate, construction and relatives' companies.

Rishwain spent nothing on advertising during the period reported Thursday. But last month, he spent $9,443.75 to plaster his campaign ads on billboards around Stockton and along Interstate 5. He also loaned his campaign $20,000, reports show.

He paid $12,650 this month to Reid and Associates, a Stockton political consulting group. The Stockton native, who received donations from Mountain House construction companies, developers and fellow lawyers, paid the same consultants $2,500 between July and the end of September.

Sixth-generation Stocktonite and trucking company owner James Grunsky paid the same consultants — who said they're also good friends with the candidate — $25,150 during the filing period that ended Sept. 30 and spent $4,100 on billboards. This month, he spent $6,563.65 on print ads and $2,500 on other campaign trinkets, like buttons.

Grunsky — who's running against incumbent Manteca school teacher Anthony Bugarin and perennial campaigner C. Jennet Stebbins for southern Stockton's Area 1 — reported in October having raised $899 of his $38,748 total.

Stebbins' contributions total $250 for the year, with $150 of that from the October filing period.

Like all Tracy candidates, Stockton's LaBounty and Benigno, and her opponent, Bugarin, Stebbins has spent nothing in the way of advertising or fundraising.

Another candidate is architect Steve Castellanos, who's running against ambulance company owner Al Lennox for the rural Area 5 seat of Dan Parises, outgoing trustee of 33 years. That seat represents the Mother Lode part of the district.

Castellanos received $6,049 of his total $26,329 this month. Much of his monetary support comes from fellow architects and construction, real estate, property management and engineering companies. A few Delta College employees donated to his campaign, too. He reported a little less than $450 worth of donated promotional mailers and spent $12,796 on consultants and campaign advertising.

Lennox raised nothing but borrowed $5,250 from his company, American Legion Ambulance. He used $2,500 of that money to pay for the same political consultants hired by Rishwain and Grunsky.

Reader Feedback

LodiJoe wrote on Oct 28, 2008 3:58 PM:

" Dr. Mary Ann Cox raised the most money from Delta faculty and school employees. Does that not tell you something people? They know who is the most qualified and the only candidate without a hidden agenda. Her sole purpose for running is to steer Delta in a direction that will bring fiscal responsibility while improving student benefits and community pride in Delta. She is leaps and bounds over the other candidates in experience to get the job done. Go Dr. Cox !! "

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