Billings rakes in cash

PROVO — A record-setting fund-raiser Wednesday night stuffed an unheard-of $50,000 into the re-election campaign coffers of Mayor Lewis Billings.

No candidate in city history has ever spent or raised $50,000, much less picked up that much cash in a single night.

"Wow," said former Mayor George Stewart, who set a city record when he spent nearly $42,000 to win election in 1993. "It's probably a landmark in city politics. Amounts above that are raised in congressional, senatorial and even gubernatorial races but not in Provo city politics."

Billings is simply keeping up with opponent Dave Bailey, said former Springville Mayor Hal Wing, who organized Wednesday's $500-a-plate dinner for Billings at Riverside Country Club.

Bailey told people early in the race that he would raise up to $100,000 in his second bid to unseat Billings. Bailey has since revised that figure down, first to a budget of $80,000, then $70,000 and now even less.

"I figure we should be close to $50,000 by the time we're done," Bailey's wife and campaign manager, Mary Bailey, said.

She is not worried about being outspent.

"Not at all," she said. "Our donors make smaller contributions, but they have donated because they are ready for a change. Eight years is too long."

If Bailey does hit $50,000, both candidates will bust Stewart's individual record. It's a virtual lock they'll combine to shatter another mark set in 1993 when Billings ran for office for the first time and defeated Karl Thalman. Billings and Thalman combined to spend $70,000.

Four years ago, Billings and Bailey spent about $67,000 in a race Billings won by 362 votes.

Wing said Wednesday night's dinner was attended by about 50 people, but a total of 75 to 80 purchased plates. Wing matched the donations of many of the diners to bring the total raised to just more than $50,000, he said.

Wing hosted the campaign because he believed Billings would need the money to counter what he and Billings referred to as negative tactics by Bailey.

"The campaign the other party is running is almost a smear campaign," Wing said.

"Many of those who attended and donated did so out of concerns resulting from that negativity," Billings said in a campaign press release. "I am very grateful to Hal and all who made this event such a tremendous success. This is the largest single fund-raising event, for a municipal race, in the history of the city."

Mary Bailey said her husband's campaign is about the issues and has only sought to hold Billings accountable for decisions he's made.