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The race for Bobbie Regan's seat on the Portland Public Schools board is nearing the $100,000 mark—a rare occurrence in typically sleepy school board elections.
As of Friday, Regan, who's seeking her fourth term on the board, has reported $34,000 in contributions.
Challenger Amy Carlsen Kohnstamm, meanwhile, has reported about $58,000, including $5,000 of her own money. (Half of the $5,000 came in the form of a loan, which Kohnstamm repaid Friday afternoon.)
A third candidate, Gretchen Hollands, hasn't reported any contributions so far.
It's no surprise the race is drawing big bucks. It takes a lot of money to knock out an incumbent, especially a three-term incumbent such as Regan.
In her most recent filings, Regan reports contributions from developer Bob Ball; former Multnomah County Commissioner Lisa Naito; former PPS board member Trudy Sargent; and city commissioners Nick Fish, Dan Saltzman and Steve Novick.
Kohnstamm has contributions from U.S. Rep Earl Blumenauer; parent leaders Lisa Zuniga and Caroline Fenn; school board member Pam Knowles; and New Seasons co-founder Stan Amy.
WWeek 2015