Burbank City Council hopeful Nick Schultz raised more than $25,000 in campaign contributions from May 3 to June 30, according to city records, by far the most for any current council candidate for the first period in which donations were reported.
The California deputy attorney general’s campaign gained $7,000 of those funds through a loan from himself and an additional $500 of his own money during that period. Contributions could not be received before May 3.
Among donations of more than $100 — which require identification of the donor — only $550 came from people with Burbank addresses, not including Schultz himself.
Disability services provider Konstantine Anthony had the second-most campaign dollars at nearly $15,500, including a total of $1,000 from himself and his treasurer. He also had the highest percentage of small-dollar donations, with about 27% of contributions he received during the period being less than $100.
All of the candidates who filed contribution disclosures — actor Michael Gogin and substitute teacher Sharis Manokian reported they would receive less than $2,000 in donations and were exempt from the requirement — received most of their contributions in sums of more than $100.
Former claims analyst Linda Bessin had the smallest percentage of small-dollar contributions at less than 1%. She raised a total of more than $6,000 in the first half of this year, including $1,500 from her own pocket.
Unlike those for other candidates, most of the contributions to current Councilman Timothy Murphy’s campaign for the first half of the year apparently came from locals, with nearly 70% of his large-dollar donations linked to Burbank addresses.
However, the total of contributions received, approximately $2,900, was also the lowest for any candidate who filed a disclosure with the city, with the exception of businessman Paul Herman, whose campaign contributions for the period consisted of a single $2,500 loan from himself.
Likewise, businesswoman Tamala Takahashi included a $1,500 loan from herself in her more than $8,200 in contributions received, an overall amount that ranked third.
Candidates are required to file another pre-election campaign statement with the city by Sept. 24.
Eight candidates seek election to the council in November, with two seats available. One of three candidates will also be elected to the position of city treasurer on Election Day.
Council members hold their positions for four years, while the elected treasurer will serve for two years to finish the unexpired term of Debbie Kukta, who left the post to take a position with the Burbank Unified School District in 2019.
Current Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy announced in June that she would not run for reelection, leaving the position up for grabs. Murphy is seeking to retain his place on the council.
