A week before Mobile voters chose a new mayor, candidate Bess Rich’s campaign reported a balance of $64,428.72, according to her final pre-election financial disclosure, positioning the former city councilwoman for a heavy closing advertising push.
The report showed expenditures of slightly more than $66,000 over the roughly 40-day period leading up to the August 23 election. Rich, who represented District 6 on the city council for two terms, had entered the filing period with $115,809.11 in her account, meaning she spent aggressively while still keeping a substantial reserve for the final week.
A four-way race to succeed Dow
Rich was competing with former state Sen. Ann Bedsole, District 7 City Councilman John Peavy and Mobile County Commissioner Sam Jones to succeed Mayor Mike Dow, who had chosen to leave office after four terms to pursue an opportunity in private business. The open seat drew a strong field and, with it, vigorous fundraising and spending across the campaigns.
Rich’s donors
Among Rich’s leading contributors were William H. Brigham at $2,000; FCC PAC and Bratton and Bobbie Rainey, each at $1,000; and a number of $500 donors including Mark S. Brown, Nannetee M. and Michael Worel, Mobile Lumber and Building Materials, and James A. Bixler. Dozens of smaller contributions, many in the $100 to $350 range, came from physicians, retirees and area families, reflecting a broad base of individual support.
Spending on the airwaves
Rich’s expenditures made clear where the campaign saw the race being won: on television and radio. The report listed roughly $17,700 to one local television station, $12,112.50 to a second, $8,355.50 to a third, $4,316.60 to another One Media buy, $4,250 to One Media, another $4,250 to the second station, $4,144.60 to that station’s radio arm and $2,000 to WABB.
The concentration of media buys signaled a candidate saving her firepower for the stretch run, when undecided voters typically tune in. With a crowded ballot and no incumbent, the mayoral contest promised a competitive finish, and Rich’s disclosure suggested she intended to be heard in the campaign’s final days. If no candidate secured a majority on August 23, a runoff would decide the succession to Dow’s office.