Ameri, thanks to personal loan, has fundraising edge among Newport Beach council hopefuls
Personal loans have bolstered campaign fundraising efforts for some Newport Beach City Council candidates in recent months as the calendar turns closer to November’s election day.
Newport voters will decide Nov. 8 who should fill three available seats on the dais. Councilmen Keith Curry and Ed Selich are termed out, while Councilman Tony Petros is exiting following his first four-year stint.
One council candidate, Fred Ameri, has accumulated a six-figure sum, with the majority of the other hopefuls netting five figures with less than three months until election day.
Ameri, a former planning commissioner and retired executive who is running for the District 7 seat representing Newport Coast and Newport Ridge, has $177,449 in his war chest. That number includes a total of $150,000 in loans that Ameri has provided himself, according to campaign contribution reports submitted to the city.
The latest filings cover the period of Jan. 1 through June 30. However, some candidates have submitted more updated records. Individuals and companies are prohibited from contributing more than $1,100 to a single campaign during the election, according to city regulations.
Ameri has netted $27,449 in contributions from individuals, some with ties to companies such as telecommunications giant Broadcom; property management companies like Costa Mesa-based Pelican Realty Management and Pennsylvania-based Omnivest Properties; redevelopment company Douglas Development Corp.; and the Stratham Group, an Irvine-based homebuilder.
Two affiliates of Irvine real estate investment firm the Shopoff Group, calling themselves “land funds,” donated nearly $500. The Multi-County Rental Housing Political Action Committee, sponsored by the Apartment Assn. of Orange County, contributed $500.
Ameri said while he has accepted some funds from individuals, he is funding the majority of his campaign himself by choice.
“I don’t want to be tied to any company, organization, team,” he said. “I just want to stay away from being committed to people so that when I’m on the council, I can still say I’m my own man.”
Jeff Herdman, a retired educator running for the District 5 seat representing Balboa Island, Harbor Island and the Fashion Island area, has raised $39,084, including $1,100 in contributions from the Newport Beach Firefighters Assn.
Curry, Petros and former Councilman Rush Hill have also donated to Herdman’s campaign.
Herdman loaned his campaign $20,000 in December 2015, pushing the total amount that he has banked to $59,084, according to the most recent filings.
Will O’Neill, an attorney and Finance Committee member who is running for District 7, has raised the most funds in the form of individual and business contributions. A bulk of O’Neill’s $58,767have come from attorneys, law firms and judges.
District 5 candidate and businessman Lee Lowrey raised $20,825 so far. Mike Glenn, a businessman and community activist, has $18,202.
While most of the candidates began raising money several months ago, Brad Avery, a harbor commissioner vying for the District 2 seat, raked in $15,100in less than a month. District 2 represents the Newport Heights and Newport Crest areas.
Avery’s sole opponent, Shelley Henderson, has garnered $1,379 from donations. She loaned her campaign $500 in March, but has paid all but $100 back.
Phil Greer, an attorney running for District 7, has banked $700 in independent donations. Greer has also loaned himself $20,000 toward his campaign.
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Hannah Fry, hannah.fry@latimes.com
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
