Campaign finance reports submitted for last fall’s Prior Lake-Savage Area School District election show a spectrum of funding for candidates and ballot issues.

At the high end for School Board candidates, Board Member Diane Ziemann reported spending just over $5,500 on lawn signs, hand-out copies, advertising and thank-you notices in the Prior Lake American and Savage Pacer.

Former candidate John Myser estimated his expenses at about $2,500 for his School Board run.

Other candidates and Board Members all reported spending and receiving less than $750 for their campaigns in the last year. Candidates who spent less than $750 were not required to itemize expenses.

Still, Board Member-elect Dee Dee Francis estimated she spent $272 on signs, magnets, cardstock and a Web site address. Former candidate Mike Von Arx reported his expenses at $111 for hand-outs and a printer-ink cartridge.

Campaign finance reports are completed by candidates and committees that receive contributions or make disbursements of more than $750 in a calendar year; committees or corporations that spend more than $750 for or against a ballot question in a calendar year; and corporations that spend more than $200 on activities to encourage participation in precinct caucuses, voter registration or voting.

Committee reports

Stand By Me, the citizens group in District 719 that supported the school district's referendums, reported receiving a total of $17,238 in contributions over the past year.

Of the contributions, the largest was $5,000 from Richard and Sheridan Hafdal of Prior Lake, who are employed by Culvers in Shakopee.

The Glendale Parent Teacher Child organization donated $500, and the Prior Lake-Savage Education Association, or teachers union, donated $2,786.

Notable donors included Superintendent Tom Westerhaus and his wife, Betsy, who contributed $100 and Board Chairman Michael Murray and his wife, Kristin, who donated $100, as well.

Leanne Weyrauch, director of community education, and her husband, Jack, also donated $100, and Prior Lake State Bank donated $100.

According to the finance report, Stand by Me spent $15,938. Expenditures went toward a variety of promotional items. Some of the top-dollar items for spending included newspaper advertisements ($2,493), postcard postage ($1,470), flyers sent to households ($860), yard signs ($869), and T-shirts and stickers ($857).

Citizens for Accountable Government, a fiscally conservative group that spoke out against the district's
referendums, took in $2,345 in contributions.

Top donors to the group, all donating $200, were Chairman David Thompson, Leroy Seurer, Wayne Rixmann, David Laporte, Trent Johnson, and Leonard Steider.

The group spent $2,170 on items including printing fliers, postage, envelopes, a mailing list and blank checks.

Joanna Miller can be reached at (952) 345-6375 or jmiller@swpub.com.