Posted on: Friday, July 30, 2004

Mayoral spending update due today

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

The public will get a peek today at how Honolulu's leading mayoral candidates have been raising and spending money for their campaigns.

Reports detailing contributions and expenditures during the year's first six months are due at the state Campaign Spending Commission by the end of the day.

The documents help voters see who is bankrolling which candidate, and can give an indication of how much support they have and how much ammunition they're stockpiling.

For the last six months of 2003, Duke Bainum reported raising $586,314 and spending $174,278, leaving $824,366 to spend later. Bainum lent his campaign $400,000 during the reporting period, and has lent it a total of $1,053,863 since 1998.

His rival, Mufi Hannemann, reported raising $176,212 and spending $38,695, with $664,344 left in his campaign coffers.

Hannemann held two major fund-raising events since then that will likely build his bank account considerably. One collected $25 from each guest, while the other collected $500 per head, a campaign spokeswoman said.

None of Bainum's events during this reporting period collected more than $25 per guest; his campaign held an event last week that will be included in the report due Sept. 8, a campaign spokeswoman said. Bainum did not lend himself any money during this reporting period, she said.

It's not unusual or improper for candidates to lend money to their own campaigns, and it can give a financial boost to those who can afford it, campaign spending commission director Robert Watada said.

A candidate can spend the money to help get elected, then hold a fund-raiser later to collect money to repay the loan, Watada said. There's no real requirement that a campaign committee pay the candidate back, but loans from other people must be repaid, he said.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.