Which Hilton Head mayoral candidate spent the most on campaigning? Here’s a breakdown

All but one candidate in the Hilton Head Island mayoral race has filed a final campaign finance report with the South Carolina State Ethics Commission ahead of the election on Tuesday, Nov. 6. 

Campaign disclosures include how candidates received and spent money in the race and include the names of those who donated to a campaign. The reports cover spending from July 10 through mid-October — the heart of the election season.

Pre-election reports were due by Oct. 22, according to Ethics Commission guidelines. Candidates had a five-day grace period that ended on Saturday, Oct. 27.

The campaign disclosures include figures for contributions and expenditures for the entire election cycle, which is from the day after the previous general election for the office — in this case, November 2014 —until the most recent filing deadline.

Here are the highlights of how Hilton Head mayoral candidates spent money in their campaigns:

Campaign contributions

John McCann has received the most contributions this election cycle, which according to his Oct. 19 campaign disclosure form, totaled $55,320.08. His campaign received $1,000 from Frank Babel, the chairman of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, and $567 from Linda Babel, who is registered at the same address as Frank.

Kim Likins received $36,910 in contributions, per her campaign disclosure form that she filed Oct. 23. Her report shows the campaign received $1,000 from Town Council member David Ames.

Alan Perry and Barry Ginn come next. Perry filed his report on Oct. 19 and received $7,425.14 in campaign contributions, and Ginn filed on Oct. 23 reporting a total of $5,800 in contributions.

The candidate with the least contributions is Rochelle Williams, who reported $1,150 in donations to her campaign when she filed on Oct. 8. Simmons Family Holding LLC, a prominent donor to the Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration, contributed $1,000 to her campaign.

Campaign spending

McCann has spent the most money in the campaign: He reported campaign expenditures of $44,413.34 this election cycle. A notable expenditure included $12,000 to AEI marketing, a Bluffton-based firm that manages McCann’s email newsletters and website.

According to Likins’ disclosure, her campaign spent $19,602.29 this election cycle.

Perry’s campaign disclosure shows he spent $6,009.89, and he noted $435.14 of personal funds as a contribution to his campaign.

Ginn spent $3,402.43 on his campaign, his report shows. He spent $1,000 for campaign videos by Dale Westfall and $900 on press secretary services.

Williams did not report any expenditures, which means she has all of her contributions on-hand. She reported $50 in personal funds as a campaign contribution, which she reports she used to pay the filing fee for the election.

One candidate who didn’t file

Michael Santomauro did not file any candidate campaign disclosures. This means the public cannot see who contributed to Santomauro’s campaign or how he spent money on the race.

Per Ethics Commission regulations, he is subject to a $100 fine for failing to file by the deadline. He will receive notice by mail of his failure to file and then be fined $10 per day for the first 10 days after notice.

After the first 10 days, Santomauro will be fined $100 per day that a report is not filed, not to exceed a fine of $5,000.

The South Carolina Ethics Reform Act states that, once the maximum penalties have been applied, Santomauro could be tried for a misdemeanor in magistrate court and, if found guilty, be fined up to $500 or spend up to 30 days in jail.

Election Information

The Hilton Head mayoral election is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will move into a runoff, which will take place Tuesday, Nov. 20.

Six people are running for Hilton Head mayor. They are:

• Town Council member John McCann
• Non-profit executive Rochelle Williams
• Retiree Michael Santomauro
• Real Estate broker Barry Ginn
• Sales Manager at SunTrust bank Alan Perry
• Town Council member Kim Likins, who currently represents Ward 4.

Voters can check their registration and polling places with the South Carolina Election Commission here.