Anti-Fluoride Campaign Reels in its Biggest Check Yet

As the calendar moves toward a sleepy May 21 election date, money is barely trickling into school board campaigns. Metro's operating levy for its green spaces has raised $70,000 so far and has no organized opposition.  

Most of the noise, at least online, is coming from the bitter argument about Portland's plan to fluoridate its water. Until recently, the anti-fluoride forces possessed more passion than money but that is starting to change.

The anti-fluoride campaign, Clean Water Portland, reported a $10,000 contribution yesterday from Daniel Deutsch, the developer of the Left Bank Project. With that check, the antis total raised this year increases to $53,000, nearly as much as the pro-fluoridation campaign, Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland's total raised of $59,000.

The no campaign now has more cash on hand—$22,000—than the yes campaign, which has $7,000 on hand.

At this point, all campaigns are still in the 30-day reporting period, which means there may be significant contributions or expenditures that have been made but not yet reported. Six weeks prior to the May 21 election, that reporting window narrows to seven days so there will then be a greater level of transparency for all campaigns.

WWeek 2015