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Sunday, May 19, 2013
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The Public Interest

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CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, kept his lead in the fundraising game against Republican Matthew A. Doheny.

Mr. Owens had about $753,000 to spend before his Nov. 6 re-election effort after raising about $139,000 in April, May and the first week of June. Mr. Doheny had about $483,000 after raising about $130,000 in the same period. Mr. Doheny kept pace, but he’ll need to do better than that to gain any sort of spending advantage.

Of course, these figures don’t always tell the whole story. Outside groups are certain to dump a lot of money into the swing district.

Neither Mr. Owens nor Mr. Doheny lent to his own campaign, as both have done before.

Some local donors to Mr. Owens whom you might recognize: Sallie A. Brothers, the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators chairwoman, and Jason A. Clark, head of the Business Development Corporation for a Greater Massena. Some Doheny donors you might recognize: Thomas H. Carman, CEO of Samaritan Medical Center, and Eric F. Fredenburg, the Lowville police chief.

Kellie A. Greene, whom Mr. Doheny will face in a June 26 GOP primary, continued to lag in fundraising — though she argues it hasn’t been the focus of her campaign.

She raised $3,748 in the two months, and had $2,710 to spend on the primary.

MORE FUNDRAISERS: Mr. Doheny and Mr. Owens have scheduled fundraisers to pad their coffers even more.

Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-Harrison, will help raise funds for Mr. Owens’s re-election effort.

Ms. Lowey will headline a fundraiser for Mr. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, that starts at 8 a.m. June 29 in Washington, D.C. Think fundraisers are about cocktails and tuxedos? No. They’re serious business, and they often occur in the early hours, as I learned from an episode of “This American Life.”

On Nov. 6, Mr. Owens will face the winner of a primary between Mr. Doheny and Ms. Greene. Mr. Doheny already has the Independence and Conservative parties’ lines.

Ms. Lowey is facing a challenge from Rye Town Supervisor Joe Carvin.

Suggested prices range from $500 to $5,000.

AND MR. DOHENY ... : Supporters of Mr. Doheny’s congressional campaign will don denim for a “ranch casual attire” fundraiser at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Jody and Doreen Garrett, the owners of Lucky Star Ranch, will host the event at the “getaway for families, individuals and corporate events” in Chaumont.

The Garretts are prominent business owners in the north country: Doreen is the CEO of Otis Technologies, a Lewis County gun-cleaning products manufacturer. She’s also the president of the Thompson Park Conservancy, known colloquially as the “zoo board.” The couple also owns the Tilted Kilt, a restaurant on Arsenal Street that opened in 2010.

For more details on the fundraiser, Mr. Doheny’s campaign office can be reached at 405-4703. Tickets are $250 per couple; you can sponsor the reception for $1,000, or become a member of Mr. Doheny’s “finance committee” for $5,000. With your significant other, it’s $10,000.

Mr. Doheny will also host a fundraiser Friday in Plattsburgh.

Email Brian Amaral at bamaral@wdt.net with political tips and tidbits. And for more on north country politics, including a discussion of the GOP Senate primary that will take place June 26, visit The Public Interest at http://wdt.net/tpi.

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