Historical context: This report reflects campaign responses gathered during Mobile’s 2013 mayoral election. It does not describe current political campaigns or present-day vendor arrangements.
A question about campaign spending and local hiring drew different public responses from the two major mayoral campaigns in Mobile in August 2013. The issue was whether candidates who spoke about jobs and economic development were also using Mobile-area businesses for campaign work.
Stimpson campaign named local vendors
Sandy Stimpson’s campaign provided a detailed list of local people and businesses involved in its work. The campaign identified Mobile-based consultant Chad Tucker of Strateco, local field and grassroots consultant Candace Cooksey, video company Full Resolution and Don Davis at MDI, which also handled graphic-design work.
The response also cited local printers, including Gwins, and ABC Signs, as well as a local mail house. The campaign said Bob Kish was its only out-of-town consultant and that he was assisting with advertising production.
Jones campaign gave a broader answer
A representative for Sam Jones’ campaign said the campaign was using local printers, video and audio workers, among other local providers. The representative said it was not the campaign’s practice to identify individual vendors, and a more detailed vendor list was not provided in the response recorded at the time.
The exchange showed how local procurement had become part of the broader 2013 conversation about economic opportunity in Mobile. For campaigns, the question was not limited to advertising: it touched on whether political spending could support local businesses and workers while candidates made competing arguments about the city’s economic future.
Campaign vendor decisions can change quickly, and this report preserves the responses as a dated snapshot rather than a finding about either campaign’s overall spending practices.