Mayor Ginger Nelson appears to be preparing for a major challenge come election time, pulling in around $52,000 for her campaign during the first six months of the year.
In a finance report filed on Monday, Nelson reported raising $52,150 during the most recent campaign finance period. Nelson received several donations from local elected officials, including from Amarillo College regent Johnny Mize and 47th District Attorney Randall Sims.
For her expenses, Nelson reported expenses to No Box Creative, Norfleet Strategies and the Amarillo Country Club as some of her big ticket items. Nelson's expenditure to the Country Club was for a fundraiser, according to the finance report. Nelson utilized No Box and Norfleet again, as both were staples of successful City Council campaigns in 2017. Additionally, Nelson reported expenditures to Sylvia Nugent for consulting. Nugent was also used by Representative Four Price in his successful bid for re-election earlier this year.
At the end of the reporting period, Nelson reported about $35,000 on hand. Nelson also reports that her campaign continues to owe $10,000 on an outstanding loan.
Thus far, no candidates have officially signed up to run against Nelson. Construction worker Parker Robertson, student Johnny Tijerina, retiree Gordon Miller and non-profit executive Waylon Walker have all flirted with bids for mayor, but none have filed the nessecary paperwork to begin raising money for a campaign.
Candidates can file a treasurer appointment to begin fundraising at any time. Applications for places on the ballot can be filed early next year. The election will be held in early May of 2019.
Photo by Nelson Campaign