CAVE CREEK – Not until former Vice Mayor Adam Trenk rolled into town has Cave Creek ever seen the obscene amounts of money he spent to win an election and again to attempt to thwart his recall.
Trenk spent over $27,000 to get elected and more than $12,000 in a futile attempt to retain his council seat during last year’s recall election.
Even after spending that kind of money to get elected, Trenk fared only two votes better than Councilman Ernie Bunch who spent basically nothing.
Until Trenk, that kind of spending was unheard of in Cave Creek, where council seats are an unpaid office and most candidates don’t exceed the $500 threshold exemption.
This election, only Eileen Wright has come close, spending over $9,200, as of the most recent report, trying to buy herself a seat on council.
Wright received $250 in contributions from Kerry and Pauline Smith and $100 from Grace Meeth while loaning her campaign $9,800.
Wright lost her first bid for council when she ran as part of Trenk’s slate but was able to gain an appointment to the planning commission.
She was subsequently removed from the commission by council before her term expired.
Reg Monachino comes in second in spending, spending over $3,300 in an attempt to get reelected to the very council seat he was ousted from during last year’s recall election.
Next was Jim O’Toole with $2,230, followed by Mary Elrod with $1,500.
David Smith exceeded the $500 threshold exemption by $87.53.
C.W. Jensen filed a statement of no activity for his last report, indicating he had no expenditures.
All the other council candidates filed $500 threshold exemptions.
Mayoral candidates Bunch and Janelle Smith-Haff filed $500 threshold exemptions while Anna Marsolo spent $2,600.
Before Trenk, money didn’t really talk in local elections and the recall election wasn’t bought with money either.
Today will tell if Wright and Monachino can buy themselves seats on council, if they will make it to the runoff election in November, or if they just don’t make the cut.
