In the county commissioner money derby, Republican incumbent Pete Shaub nearly lapped the field.

But challenger Dennis Stuckey is moving up fast on the inside.

And on the other side of the ballot, Jon Price was the dark-horse winner.

The nine commissioner candidates, six Republicans and three Democrats, filed their first finance reports of the primary campaign Friday, and the numbers, in some cases, were eye-popping.

No one had anywhere close to the record amount, Paul Thibault's $225,000 in 1999.

But with another two weeks in the campaign, Shaub was leading the Republican pack, with nearly $95,000 raised.

Next was the endorsed Republican, Dick Shellenberger, at $55,000 in cash.

Stuckey, the county controller, came in third. But Stuckey also reported nearly $30,000 in late in-kind contributions from Thibault's leadership PAC, Friends of Better Government, vaulting him ahead of Shellenberger.

Price, the Clay Township supervisor, may have opened some eyes by reporting more than $29,000, the most of any of the three candidates seeking two Democrat nominations on May 20.

The reports run from Dec. 31 to May 5.

Candidates' totals are important, but just as critical is the amount they have left for the stretch. If they ran through most of their cash in the first filing period, they might not be able to finance the critical last two weeks, unless they have commitments for more money from donors.

Rumor is that Stuckey, for instance, may get another infusion of help from Friends of Better Government in days to come.

Shaub, the only incumbent, said he was pleased with his fund-raising.

His committee reported starting with $23,063, taking in $71,458, spending $82,284 and having $12,237 in the bank.

Shaub said his budget goal was about $100,000, just a little more than he raised in his first run in 1999, and with two weeks to go, he expects to hit the target.

The Shaub committee got $5,000 from the Building Industry Association, $3,000 from Peter Egan of Manor Township and $2,000 from Peggy Steinman, a Lancaster Newspapers board member.

He also received $2,500 from Arthurs Lestrange Advisors Inc. of Pittsburgh, a bond underwriter that last year backed Shaub's contention that the structure of a proposed county bond deal was too costly. The bond issue was revised before it was approved.

Shaub's report also shows a $300 donation from Progressive Candidates PAC, the political action committee chaired by former state legislator John Barley. That donation was received Feb. 5; on Feb. 24, the report says, the contribution was returned.

Barley also does work for Arthurs Lestrange.

Shaub's major expense was $40,285 to the Strategy Group of Columbus, Ohio, his consulting company.

Shellenberger, an owner of The Eatery restaurant, showed $54,592 raised, $45,133 spent and a balance of $9,459, with $2,075 donated in kind.

As the endorsed Republican, he'll also get support from the county GOP.

Shellenberger's biggest donation was $10,000 from the Responsible Citizens PAC of Harrisburg. His major expenses were $19,273 to Precision Marketing of Easton for campaign mailers; $9,994 to Barry Bruce & Co., a Manheim Township ad agency, for broadcast ads; and $3,948 to Capital Promotions of Glenside for signs.

Stuckey's own committee raised $28,140, spent $22,020 and had $6,276 left.

But that didn't include two amendments to the report, showing contributions received after Monday's close of the filing period but before the paperwork had to be filed Friday.

Stuckey's committee reported $8,500 received on Tuesday, including $5,000 from brokerage owner Eugene H. Gardner, and a $4,000 loan from the candidate.

A second amendment reports $29,555 worth of in-kind donations, for

research consulting and fund-raising,'' from Friends of Better Government, which endorsed Stuckey.

Stuckey's biggest expense was $7,699 to Yescalis Campaign Strategies, the company owned by Jess Yescalis, a frequent consultant for Thibault and FBG. He also spent $5,000 on Wilson Research Strategies, a polling company, and $2,000 for broadcast ads by Haverstick Films.

Among Stuckey's contributors were Michael A. Setley and Christopher Gibbons of Concord Public Finance, each of whom gave $1,000. Concord structured a controversial bond deal for the county last year that eventually was replaced with a different bond issue after Shaub protested.

After the big Republican three, contributions dropped off sharply.

County Recorder of Deeds Steve McDonald reported raising $16,975, spending $11,757 and having $5,850 in the bank. He also had $1,173 given in kind.

Former commissioner Jim Huber, whom some regard as the Republicans' dark horse, raised $7,535, spent $2,365 and had $5,170 left. His largest contributors were Stephen W. Wiley of Wiley's Pharmacy and James F. Cosgrove, owner of the Historic Revere Tavern, at $1,000 each.

And Scott Martin, the county Youth Intervention Center staffer, raised $3,265, spent $2,709 and had a balance of $556.

Among the Democrats, Price was the clear leader, with $29,299 in donations, $24,097 in expenses and a balance of $5,473. He also reported $1,337 worth of in-kind donations and $8,000 in his own loans to the committee.

Price, who works for the House Democratic Caucus in Harrisburg, took in $6,680 from political action committees and legislators' campaign committees. He also received $500 from S. Dale High, a Republican who heads High Associates.

Next was former city health boss Molly Henderson, who raised $15,155, spent $15,651 and had $537 for the end game. Her largest contributors were food broker Leslie Lehman, at $6,000, and financial adviser Erik Brown, at $1,000. Henderson's biggest expense was $6,750 to her campaign manager, Sam Wilsker.

Retired WGAL newsman Bill Saylor, the third Democrat, reported an opening balance of $3,655, donations of $1,000, expenses of $3,713 and a balance of $941, plus $5,000 in loans from the candidate.

Saylor said in a Saturday statement that his campaign is being funded mostly with donations of $10 to $100

from real people.''

Too many campaigns are funded by large contributions from high-profile special-interest groups,'' he said,

and too many times elected officials find themselves owing something in return for the dollars spent in an election.''
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