How East Lansing City Council Candidates Made and Spent Campaign Money

Liam Richichi and Steve Whelan hold a clear advantage in fundraising this campaign season, as the East Lansing City Council candidates each raised over $20,000, more than double the total of any of the other four candidates in the field, according to pre-election campaign finance reports. 

The reports show that candidates spent big on mailers, received help from current council members and their families, and that candidates found many different funders to support their campaigns.

The numbers: Whelan and Richichi lapped the field in fundraising. 

While no candidate approached the more than $50,0000 raised by now-Mayor Pro Tem Kerry Ebersole Singh in 2023, Richichi and Whelan each put together successful fundraising campaigns. Whelan raised nearly $26,000 and Richichi raised more than $21,000. 

This is compared to the roughly $7,800 raised by Chuck Grigsby, $7,400 by Joshua Ramirez-Roberts, $6,700 by Adam DeLay and $5,500 by Kath Edsall. 

Fundraising can be a boost for campaigns – Singh ran away from the field in 2023 after raising a historic amount of funds in an East Lansing race. 

Money is not, however, the sole indicator deteriming the outcome of elections. Councilmember Erik Altmann raised the fifth most in 2023 before claiming a spot on City Council as the third leading vote getter. Prior to SIngh, Nathan Triplett was the last council candidate to surpass $50,000 in funds raised in 2017. Triplett finished fourth in that election and did not retain his seat on council. 

Both Whelan and Richichi still had a substantial amount left to spend when they filed their expense reports last week. ELi followed up with both candidates Thursday to find out how they plan to spend their remaining assets. 

Whelan said that since he filed his statement that covers contributions and expenses through Oct. 19, he has spent a significant amount on mailers targeting specific neighborhoods and consulting, and has about $2,500 to $3,000 remaining.

Richichi said he has also had some significant expenses since filing his report that also covers up to Oct. 19. He said he’s spent about $4,000 on another round of mailers and $2,700 on digital advertising over the last couple of weeks, along with other miscellaneous costs. 

Candidates found diverse streams of revenue. 

The largest donor this campaign cycle was the 333 Local Plumbers, Pipefitters and HVAC Mechanics PAC. The union, which routinely spends a significant amount on East Lansing elections, sent $5,000 each to Richichi and Grigsby. 

Whelan received the most large donations of over $1,000 with 14. Richichi gathered the most individual contributions. 

Candidates also received in-kind donations, which are non-cash donations that are not included in the fundraising totals reported above, but do have an estimated value. Some examples of in-kind donations include $900 worth of food from El Azteco for a get out the vote rally gifted to Whelan, a campaign advertisement placed on the electronic sign outside of the Abood law firm building donated to Richichi and Whelan, and a couple of food and beverage donations to the Ramirez-Roberts campaign that were worth more than $700.

Yard signs, political consulting and mailers: how candidates spent their money.

Most candidates dedicated the bulk of their expenses to mailers. DeLay had around $4,000 worth of expenses related to mailers, Edsall spent nearly $3,700 and Ramirez-Roberts spent about $5,500. Whelan had spent roughly $8,300 on mailers even before sending out another round after his report was filed. Between the amount reported and an estimate he gave ELi over the phone on Thursday, Richichi spent about $8,000 on mailers. 

Whelan spent the most on yard signs, as the finance report details that he spent roughly $3,200 on 300 yard signs.

All of Grigsby’s reported expenses – close to $6,500 – went to Practical Political Data, which has been a favorite company for local candidates to get voter information and consulting from. Grigsby also received an in-kind donation of a mailer worth almost $1,700. 

Sitting council members and their families supported their favorite candidates. 

The members of City Council who still have two years remaining on their terms – Councilmembers Erik Altmann and Mark Meadows, and Mayor Pro Tem Kerry Ebersole Singh – all provided support to their potential future colleagues, or their spouses did. 

Ebersole Singh’s husband State Senator Sam Singh’s PAC provided mailers worth close to $1,700 as in-kind contributions to both Richichi and Grigsby. Singh’s PAC donated an additional $500 to Richichi’s campaign. 

Altmann supported Ramirez-Roberts and Whelan. Altmann gave both Whelan and Ramirez-Roberts voter lists valued at $250 as an in-kind contribution. He also donated $500 to Ramirez-Roberts’ campaign. 

Altmann’s wife, Kathy Swedlow, provided Ramirez-Roberts’ campaign with a $400 in-kind contribution for food and beverages and an additional $250 donation. 

In early October, a few ELi readers notified us that Meadows sent them a letter in which he endorsed Grigsby and Whelan. It’s unclear how much this cost, as it is not included in either candidate’s finance report. The bottom of Meadows’ letter notes that he paid for it and it was not authorized by any candidate or campaign.

Besides individuals on City Council, Whelan, a recently retired ELPD officer, was supported by a union that represents ELPD patrol officers. The union, the Capitol City Labor Program, donated $500 to Whelan. The union has been in local news recently because a contract it negotiated with the city weakened the powers of the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission.