You want to run against Sly James? You better bring the money

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Sly James won the 2011 mayoral election in part because he declared his candidacy early and hit the donor trail hard for contributions.

The next election contest for him isn’t until the mayoral primary on February 24, 2015, but the incumbent is raising money, and spending it, like the campaign is in full swing.

Since he won the last election against Mike Burke in 2011, the Sly James for Mayor committee has raised $426,826 for the 2015 contest, according to a quarterly report filed on October 16 with the Missouri Ethics Commission. That figure includes nearly $40,000 raised between July 1 and September 30.

That $40,000 he raised during the last reporting quarter pushed his total contributions for the 2015 election cycle ahead of the $389,613 he drummed up during the entire 2011 campaign.

So who is giving James all this money? The last quarter’s contribution list is heavy with names and companies from the construction, real estate and development professions.

They range from a $100 chip-shot from J.E. Dunn Chairman Steve Dunn (one of several contributors from Kansas City’s largest construction company) to $1,000 contributions each from the likes of Owen Buckley of Lane4 Property Group, Henderson Engineers and Populous.

July 24 was a good day for Sly James for Mayor. On that day alone, he received three $1,900 contributions from Jim Bowers, Aaron March, Dale Schulte and another $1,650 check from Harold Goss. Those four men work together for for the White Goss Bowers March Schulte & Weisenfels law firm, a law practice best known for its real estate redevelopment work. Their lawyers can frequently be seen at public meetings for the Tax Increment Finance Commission and other bodies that dole out public incentives for real estate projects.

James isn’t just sitting on all that cash. During the last reporting period, he paid $14,000 to the Global Strategy Group for polling along with another $1,808 to the same firm for travel reimbursements. More than $6,000 went to Keating Development LLC in Overland Park for campaign services and another $3,000 to The KAM Company in Kansas City for fundraising services.

James is the only candidate so far to file campaign reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission for the 2015 mayoral race.