Campaign finance reports in for Nevada, Nye County

The first round of 2018 candidate contributions and expenses reports, known as C&Es, were filed last week and the numbers show that the battle for Nevada Assembly District 36 has some of the highest figures in the many races of interest to Nye County voters.

Nearly $250,000 has been spent by the Republican Assembly candidates, James Oscarson, Dennis Hof and Dr. Joseph Bradley thus far.

Assembly financials

Doling out the most cash of the trio from Jan. 1 to May 18 was Hof. His expenses were reported at just over $160,000 while his campaign has managed to bring in only $103,266, leaving Hof with a deficit of roughly $56,000.

Incumbent Assemblyman James Oscarson’s campaign has raised just upward of $123,000 with his expenses detailed at approximately $70,000 for the period of January 1 to May 18.

Assembly candidate Dr. Joseph Bradley has come nowhere near the monetary level of his opponents, reporting only $300 in campaign contributions and just over $3,000 in expenses.

The first of the entries in Hof’s C&E report come from the brothel owner himself, showing he provided over $100,000 of the funds claimed in the contributions section, all of which were marked as loans. The remaining contributions came in the form of small donations from individuals, primarily in $100 increments.

As for expenditures, Hof has spent much of his campaign funding on various advertising methods, including running ads in Las Vegas Review-Journal owned newspapers, Pahrump Life Magazine and on KPVM, as well as spending on signage with companies for his myriad billboards and other political signs. Hof also expended large sums on consulting services, namely with Chuck Muth’s Desert Fox Strategic Communications which constituted some of his most expensive bills.

Oscarson’s campaign donations list is much more complex than Hof’s, with more than 85 contributors listed. Some of the largest donations came from casinos and gaming-related entities, such as MGM Resorts International at $10,000; MGM at $5,000; Bellagio at $5,000; The Orleans Hotel at $5,000; Golden Entertainment at $2,500; South Point Hotel and Casino at $5,000; Association of Gaming and Equipment Manufacturers at $1,500; Fremont Hotel and Casino at $1,000; for a total of $35,000.

Other large contributions came from Sunrise Health Care System Good Government Fund PAC at $5,000; Nevada Subcontractors Association at $10,000; PAC Nevada Home Builders Association at $5,000; the Las Vegas Chamber at $2,500; and Spring Mountain Advanced Driving School at $5,000; among many other donations both large and small, from individuals and entities alike.

For Oscarson’s expenses, he too has paid out large amounts for advertising with the same entities as Hof, including RJ companies, KPVM and various signage and other print companies. His campaign manager, Laura Billman, was another major expense, along with other costs related to paid staff. Much of the remainder of Oscarson’s long list of expenses included small expenditures at locations such as gas stations, restaurants and other stores.

By comparison, Bradley’s C&E is simple to digest, with donations in excess of $100 coming solely from Dora Harrison, who contributed $250 total. Bradley has claimed an additional $50 in contributions that were less than $100 as well. The biggest chunk of Bradley’s $3,192 in expenses went to KPVM in Pahrump, A&B Printing in Las Vegas and the Print Place in Texas.

Commissioner candidates

On the Nye County Commissioners’ side of the primary election, Ron Boskovich has blown his opponents away in terms of campaign collections, racking up more than $30,000 from January 1 to May 18. His opponents for commission District 4 did not even come close to Boskovich’s total, with Leo Blundo reporting just $6,358 while Tina Trenner claimed $6,450 and Walt Turner received $8,711.

Of Boskovich’s campaign contributions, almost $8,000 was marked down as loans from his daughter Ronni Boskovich, who works in the Nye County DA’s office, and his family member, Brett Waggoner, who is currently the Nye County Public Works Director. Donations came from sources such as CW Nevada, Front Sight, HHH Investments, owned by the Hafen family, Double M Construction, SolarReserve and more.

With Trenner, more than half of her claimed contributions were in the form of in-kind services with Kenny Bent listed as contributing the highest amount, $2,000 worth of sign installations. On the monetary contributions, Morales Construction provided the largest boost at $1,400. The remainder of the direct contributions came from the Chicken Ranch, Pahrump Disposal and former Assemblyman Ed Goedhart.

Turner’s contributions were straightforward, primarily consisting of loans from himself, as well as a donation of $3,000 from his family business, Access Realty.

Blundo’s campaign money has come from $4,000 in donations from entities such as PIC LLC, Saitta Trudeau, Tatuado Wildside Tavern, among others, and $2,358 in in-kind services, mainly from his own restaurant, Carmelo’s Bistro.

Boskovich has also spent more than double the combined amount of all three of his opponents, reporting expenses of $26,101 compared to Blundo’s $3,742, Trenner’s $1,350 and Turner’s $4,730.

In the race for commission District 5, incumbent Dan Schinhofen has pulled in the most in contributions at $20,800. However, he has already expended more than $24,000, leaving himself with an approximately $3,500 deficit. Schinhofen’s biggest donors were Building Management Company B LLC, Kaempfer and Crowell and Spring Mountain Advanced Driving School, all of which contributed $2,500 each.

District 5 candidate Dwight Lilly has come in with $8,443 reported at this stage, $4,750 of which is marked as a loan from himself to his campaign. Six other individuals contributed amounts between $100 and $500 and the Cordova Family Limited Partnership donated $230.

District 5 candidate Debra Strickland claimed $4,550 in contributions, most of which are loans from Larry Strickland Construction. Only two other monetary contributors were listed, Strategic Growth and Western Best LLC.

The fourth candidate for the District 5 seat, Leo Marchetti, reported the lowest amount in contributions at just $816.

Lilly’s expenses came in at $8,670 while Strickland’s totaled $3,798 and Marchetti’s came to $815. Marchetti’s expenses were not detailed in his C&E.

Hof donations to others

Hof has also been donating to some of the other candidates seeking office in the 2018 primary, utilizing some of his many entities to do so. Under the Home of Freedom PAC, of which Hof is the president, $300 in cash went to District 5 candidate Marchetti and $500 went to District 4 candidate Boskovich. Under Hof’s business Rock ‘n’ Rodeo, $600 in in-kind contributions were made to District 4 candidate Trenner and $500 in in-kind contributions to District 5 candidate Strickland.

Hof was also claimed by name on District 5 candidate Dwight Lilly’s C&E as providing a written commitment for in-kind contributions in the amount of $175. Hof has also teamed up with certain potential politicos for campaign ads on the radio as well, although these do not appear to be reflected in those candidates’ C&Es.

The next C&E reports are due June 8, just a few days before the primary election, set for June 12. Voters can review candidates’ filings prior to voting by visiting the Nevada secretary of state’s website and searching for Contributions and Expenses reports.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com