James Wynn is a candidate for office of Tyler City Council, District 4

The Tyler City Council District 4 race is on track to become the most expensive ever run for a City of Tyler seat.

Lawyer Nick Pesina and local businessman James Wynne have raised a combined $72,388, including in-kind donations for the election, which is still two months away. The previous record, according to Tyler Paper archives, was $69,735 over the course of the entire District 6 race in 2014 between John Nix and Clark Hampe.

Pesina has a lead of more than $7,000 so far, with his in-kind and monetary donations totaling $40,589. In the 2014 race Nix ended with $32,474 to Hampe’s $24,280.

Wynne was just $174 short of topping Nix’s record as of the end of the semi-annual reporting period on Jan. 15. Wynne has raised $32,300 so far.

Pesina and Wynne started fundraising far earlier for this race, in part due to incumbent Don Warren announcing last May that he would vacate the seat to run for mayor. Wynne and Pesina both announced their intent to run for the seat shortly after.

Pesina also is leading in terms of individual donors, with 104 monetary donations and five in-kind donations listed in his report.

“Our campaign’s vision is resonating throughout the district. The fundraising numbers speak to the momentum of our message to build for the future of Tyler,” Pesina said in a statement last month. “Our community wants a fresh voice on the city council, and their investment in our campaign strongly reflects that. At the end of the day, dollars don’t vote, people do—and we will continue to meet the voters where they are with our vision for the future. Our campaign will work hard through Election Day.”

As with the total dollars raised, Wynne isn’t far behind. His report boasted 72 individual donors and one in-kind donation.

“Fundraising has gone great. I think it’s kind of crazy that you have to spend the kind of money you have to for a city council race,” Wynne said. “The level of interest in the community as a whole, the sheer interest that this area has created through the years (is huge). It’s the heartbeat of Tyler, the Azalea District.”

Pesina already has spent more than $22,000 and has $20,221 in the bank. His largest expenditure has been on advertising in the amount of $8,095 with Minerbox Interactive/Holt Creative and $9,118 with Relevant Marketing for consulting.

Wynne has only spent $2,758 so far and has $29,874 in his coffers. His largest expenses have been for consulting with Spade Design for $1,200 and Dot the I for $1,049.

City of Tyler Municipal elections will be Saturday, May 2. The next campaign finance filing deadlines are 30 days before the race and 8 days before.

District 2 City Councilmember Broderick McGee will face Derrith Bondurant in his bid to secure a second term. Joel Rando also has filed to run for mayor.

The deadline for candidates to file to run in the May 2 election is Feb. 14.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article misstated who has announced their candidacy for mayor.

Monetary contributions to Pesina

Trenton and Caroline Brookshire   $3,000

Lisa Lujan       $3,000

Meadows Homes LLC            $2,500

Bruce Roberts            $2,500

Randy Roberts           $2,500

David Dobbs  $1,500

Greg Porter      $1,500

Tyler1builders          $1,200

Michael and Lisa Ace            $1,000

Christina Davis          $1,000

Ebaristo Torres         $1,000

Laura Banda  $500

Alicia Barkley $500

Dale Boone     $500

Claudia Carroll          $500

Joseph Chapa            $500

Terrance Garmon      $500

Daniel Glass   $500

Jorge Aragon Insurance Agency LLC           $500

Jamal Moharer          $500

Joseph Ortiz   $500

Antonio Rios   $500

Oscar Rodriguez        $500

Michael Taliaferro     $500

Kristen Ybarra          $500

Servando McHazlett  $350

Charles Abel  $300

Michelle Carr $300

Ron Gleason   $300

Michael Patterson     $300

Jesse Ancira   $250

Jesse Cardoza            $250

Luis Cornejo   $250

Ronald Fix      $250

Richard Grainger       $250

Frederick Hager        $250

Luis Hernandez         $250

Neal and Jennifer Katz         $250

Moises Leandro         $250

Jose Lopez      $250

Paula Lopez   $250

Jonathan Noble         $250

Omar Ochoa   $250

Jaime Resendez         $250

Jason Surmiller          $250

Diego Centeno           $200

Cheryl Garmon          $200

Tito Guerrero III        $200

Lucio’s Boot and Shoe Repair LLC   $200

Matthew Ramirez      $200

Miguel Solis    $200

Karen Stansbury       $200

Marciel Avelar           $100

Beverly Beavers-Brooks       $100

Eva Coe          $100

Jeremy Coe    $100

Stephen Dinger         $100

Edward Estrada        $100

Felix Soilo       $100

Fernando Frias          $100

Esther Grijalva           $100

Chad Luig       $100

Aaron Martinez         $100

Orlando Mondragon $100

Sravanesh Muralidhar         $100

Suzanne Myers          $100

Andy Navarro            $100

Daniel Noyes  $100

Ramiro Pesina           $100

Pamela Phoenix        $100

David Saenz   $100

James Trujillo            $100

James Volberding      $100

Marc Loredo Campaign        $79

Jesse Acosta   $50

Jon Adams      $50

Doris Batson  $50

Kim Bechkam            $50

Aleshia Buckner        $50

Jose Capellan $50

Blane Carifee $50

Veronica Chidester   $50

Vanessa Fuentes       $50

Lorena Grimes           $50

Jaime Ivan      $50

Douglas Kinnett        $50

Richard Magner        $50

Ruth Martinez           $50

Daniel Noteware       $50

Thomas Perkins        $50

Daniel Ramirez          $50

Beverly Russell          $50

Freeman Sterling      $50

Cameron Young        $50

Dawn Yount   $50

Michael Cichowicz     $25

Tony Pagliocco           $25

Patricia Rodriguez     $25

Barbara Barreno-Paschall    $20

Pam Holley     $20

Jose Pena       $20

Gina Moers     $10

Ivette Zavarce            $10

Stephen Day  $1

Monetary contributions to Wynne

Name  Amount

James Perkins            $2,500

Jan and Brian Hancock         $2,000

Sam Greenberg         $2,000

Kevin Eltife Campaign          $2,000

Mike Cavendar          $1,000

Julie and Drew Greene         $1,000

Gaylord T. Hughey Jr.            $1,000

Shirley and Larry Snodgrass           $1,000

David Hudson            $1,000

Smith P Reynolds      $500

Elizabeth Marsh Ellis            $500

Laura Corbett            $500

Marietta Wynne        $500

Jo Ann and Randy Grooms   $500

Herb Buie       $500

Pamela and Mike Jones        $500

Valorie and James Hedrick   $500

Ann Norris     $500

Debbie and Bob Garrett       $500

Cassie and Clark Hampe      $500

Mary Lauren and Bruce Faulconer $500

Kim and David McDavid      $500

Bobby Curtis  $500

Byran Rossman         $500

Cynthia and A.W. Riter III    $500

Sharlotte and Tommy Hyde $500

Susan and Michael Bosworth          $500

Lisa and Bob Breedlove        $500

Sharon and Rea Boudreaux $500

Mark Saleh     $500

Susan and Lee Gibson          $500

Mr. and Mrs. Stan Frank       $300

Hal and Cathy Bertram        $300

Tana and Francis Kay           $300

Mary Elizabeth Jackson        $250

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Boyd      $250

Mr. and Mrs. Lonny Uzell     $250

Steven Calhoun         $250

Diane and Andy Wall            $250

Jill and Edward Snodgrass   $250

Caserta Partners 1    $250

Caserta Partners 2    $250

Steve Roosth  $250

Laura and Michael Young    $250

Courtney and Michael Lewis           $250

Nancy and Robert Patterson           $250

Anne and Brad Robertson   $250

Becky and Jeff Austin           $250

Jim Lambeth  $250

James Price Simmons           $200

Donald A. Simmons   $200

Dot Ferguson $200

Kurt and Nancy Massing      $200

Nanci and Woody Wright     $200

John Owen     $150

Mo and Doug McSwane        $150

Billy E. Hibbs Jr.         $100

Linda and Breck Watson      $100

Meredith and Dr. Mark Roberts      $100

Olivia and Andrew Snodgrass         $100

Marc Ivy         $100

Nico de Boer  $100

Galen Faulconer        $100

David Collings            $100

Mark Tyler     $100

Taylor White  $100

Cynthia and Robert Stephenson Jr.            $100

Jeff Stratton   $100

Jerry Atherton           $100

Brenda and Hall Cameron   $100

Belinda and Steve Short       $50

Pam and Matt Gabriel          $50