Anne Geggis
Boca Raton Councilman Andy Thomson has passed the $200,000 mark in cash collected for his bid to represent a reshuffled House District 91 in Palm Beach County.
Overall, the Democrat is winning the money race in raising funds from donors. But he’s slightly behind his chief competitor in overall money added, because of a $200,000 loan Highland Beach Town Commissioner Republican Peggy Gossett-Seidman made to her campaign.
Between his personal account and his political committee, Running with Andy Thomson, the lawyer who’s been on Boca Raton City Council since 2018 raised $22,854 in May for his House bid.
Overall, Thomson has $195,045 to fight for the seat representing House District 91, including a $30,000 loan he gave to his campaign.
To win the open seat that represents the district encompassing Boca Raton and parts of Highland Beach and West Boca, Thomson is facing Gossett-Seidman, who, like Thomson, also won her first election in 2018.
Lawyers accounted for the single, largest sector supporting Thomson, giving him a collective $3,550 boost. A smattering of other interests such as doctors, technology companies, insurance and real estate interests chipped into the campaign.
The biggest, single donor to Thomson’s campaign in May was Florida East Coast Industries. Through its subsidiaries, the company that is one of the state’s oldest gave Thomson’s campaign $2,500.
There were notable names on Thomson’s donor list. Boca Raton’s Deputy City Manager George Brown gave $100. Boca Raton Councilwoman Monica Mayotte, chipped in $1,000 along with her husband Terry Mayotte, who also gave $1,000.
Thomson received other $1,000 donations from Rita Schneider, a Boca Raton jeweler and bookkeeper; Susan Eckelkamp, a St. Albans, Missouri attorney; Boca Raton Safety PAC, TSE Consulting, based in Fort Lauderdale; AXCM, an Aventura dry cleaning company; and Paul Adkins of Boca Raton, who works in insurance.
His campaign in May spent the most it ever has since Thomson filed for the seat. He spent almost $5,000 in May, with the vast majority, $4,295, going to Cornerstone Solutions in West Palm Beach.
His chief competitor in the General Election, Gossett-Seidman, outspent Thomson in May, however. Gossett-Seidman’s campaign raised $2,470 and spent $9,470 last month.
Joanna Wickersham of Delray Beach received Gossett-Seidman’s biggest check written in May, $3,287, for campaign work, according to a list of May expenditures. Investments Limited of Boca Raton received $2,795 for a lease. Gossett-Seidman also sent $2,250 to Andres Rodriguez of Boca Raton for a management fee.
James Batmasian, Boca Raton’s largest commercial property owner and his company, Investments Limited, are among the contributors to Gossett-Seidman’s campaign, giving $2,000. Four members of the Quinn family of Stuart gave $4,000, collectively. And Leandro Rizzuto, a Delray Beach retiree, also gave $1,000.
Gossett Seidman has a total of $220,045 on hand for the race, including $200,000 she loaned to her campaign.
Another Republican in the race, Christina DuCasse, raised $3,425 and spent $587 in May. She has a total of $3,019 in cash on hand.
The campaigns were facing a deadline Friday to report all campaign finance activity through May 31.
