Macon mayoral candidates raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here’s a breakdown

The election for Macon-Bibb County mayor is a week away, and most candidates have filed their final reports detailing who gave them money and how they spent it.

The last campaign disclosure reports were filed April 30, and mayoral candidate Cliffard Whitby led the pack with $47,645 contributions during the reporting period that began Jan. 31.

Blake Sullivan followed closely with $45,561 in donations, and Lester Miller raised a total of $20,005 during this reporting period, according to the reports. Larry Schlesinger raised $9,245.

However, Miller has received the most contributions to date, with a total of $382,407. His closest contestant is Sullivan, with $185,138, followed by Whitby with $123,835. Schlesinger has raised $105,140 during his campaign, according to the reports.

Candidate Marc Whitfield has not submitted a campaign disclosure report, according to the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections office.

Sullivan and Miller have both had 18 contributions since July 2019 that were $2,800 each, the maximum amount allowed.

Among all of these contributions are doctors, lawyers, pastors and community leaders who have contributed thousands of dollars to these campaigns.

Ninfa Saunders, president and CEO of Navicent Health, contributed $500 each to the campaigns of Miller, Schlesinger, Sullivan and Whitby.

Elaine Lucas, Macon-Bibb County Commissioner for District 3, and Jack Ellis, former Macon mayor, both contributed modest amounts to Whitby’s campaign.

Sullivan also received donations from political figures in the Macon community. Former Macon Mayor George Israel III, also former president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, donated $100 to Sullivan’s campaign along with Dele Reichert of Dunwoody Insurance, who is married to current mayor Robert Reichert.

Miller received donations from lawyers, businesses and business owners throughout the course of his campaign similar to Sullivan’s campaign contributions, but Sullivan also received donations from doctors.

Forty pastors donated to Whitby’s campaign in the final reporting period.

Schlesinger had a mix of architects, attorneys, physicians and retirees donate to his campaign.

The election is June 9. Here is a breakdown of each candidates’ contributions and expenses, listed alphabetically by candidate last name.

Lester Miller

Although many of Miller’s contributors are business owners, lawyers and businesses, his top donors range from investors to construction companies.

In Miller’s most recent report, his largest contributor was the campaign for Charles Olson. Olson announced he would be running for mayor in the summer of 2019. Olson dropped out of the race in January and endorsed Miller.

Miller had five donors on his Jan. 31 report that contributed $2,800, but most of his large donations came in 2019. Four Sheridan Construction employees contributed $2,800 each in December 2019.

Businesses contributed more than $20,000 to Miller’s campaign since July 2019, according to his reports.

Here are Miller’s contributions based on people’s listed professions:

• Attorneys: $9,881

• Business owners: $19,850

• Retirees: $16,725

As the candidate who has raised the most funds, Miller has also spent the most money with a total of $265,667 expenditures leaving his net balance at $116,740 as of April 30.

Southern Majority, a Macon-based political consulting firm, has received a large portion of Miller’s expenses along with advertising and printing companies. Miller paid Southern Majority $169,938 and had a total of $181,281 in expenditures for this reporting period.

A donation to Miller was made in Telegraph reporter Joe Kovac Jr.’s name by his wife. The money has been returned and Kovac is not reporting on the election.

Larry Schlesinger

Schlesinger received some of his largest donations during the April 30 reporting period.

Peter Holliday, a spine surgeon at Coliseum Health System, gave Schlesinger his largest contribution at $1,400. Medical professionals have contributed nearly $9,000 since July 2019.

Retirees were the second largest group that donated to Schlesinger with more than $7,000 of donations, and attorneys contributed nearly $2,500 to the Schlesinger campaign.

Schlesinger has spent the least amount of money out of all of the candidates who have submitted disclosure reports with $76,353 of expenditures to date. He has a net balance of $28,786 as of April 30.

Out of the $38,028 Schlesinger spent during the April 30 reporting period, he spent $32,406 for the production of a commercial and airtime to Media, Inc. out of North Carolina, according to his report.

Blake Sullivan

As the self-proclaimed businessman in this election, Sullivan has had several businessmen and women donate to his campaign.

People who were listed as business men or women on Sullivan’s disclosure report contributed more than $40,000 since July 2019.

During the April 30 reporting period, retirees were Sullivan’s largest donors in terms of amount given with three contributing $2,800 each. Retirees donated nearly $40,000 throughout Sullivan’s campaign, according to his reports.

Homemakers, physicians, dentists and attorneys made up nearly $60,000 of Sullivan’s total contributions, according to his reports.

Lowe Electric Supply was among the largest donors during this reporting period, giving $2,800.

Sullivan is second to Miller in spending. He has a total of $131,938 in expenditures leaving his net balance at $53,220.

A large portion of Sullivan’s expenditures in the April 30 report are to Landmark Communications, an Alpharetta-based political advertising and consulting firm. Nearly $80,000 of the $91,553 Sullivan spent during this reporting period went to Landmark Communications.

Cliffard Whitby

Whitby’s largest donor during the April 30 reporting period was the Rev. Walter Glover Jr., pastor of Greater Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, in the amount of $2,500.

This represents a theme in Whitby’s contributions considering more than 40 pastors, around 25% of all contributors, donated more than $27,000 to his campaign, according to his reports.

Whitby’s reports had around 30 contributors that either didn’t list their occupation or the information has been requested.

Other donors contributing to Whitby’s campaign range from attorneys to contractors to retirees, and he has loaned his own campaign $25,000.

Whitby has spent $88,048 throughout his campaign leaving him with a net balance of $35,786 on April 30, according to his report.

Most of the $65,135 in expenditures during the April 30 reporting period has been spent on advertising and consultants, including to fundraising consultant Slingshot Strategies ($9,188); legal strategy consultant Stephanie Miller ($6,750); media and advertising consultant Theresa Southern ($6,000) and 41NBC News/WMGT for advertising ($5,600).

Telegraph and Center for Collaborative Journalism interns Phoebe Monsour and Keith Holmes Jr. contributed to this article.

This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.