The mayor’s million-dollar-plus inauguration is scheduled for subsequent week as money has continued to pile in — and her marketing campaign account stays a cash manufacturing facility, swelling again into the a whole lot of 1000’s whilst she spends greater than $30,000 a month.
Michelle Wu’s marketing campaign chest is now at $313,777 as of the latest report in the beginning of the month after the once-million-plus account plunged to under $60,000 because the then-councilor spent furiously throughout final fall’s marketing campaign.
Wu’s been elevating funds by way of electronic mail solicitations and fundraisers alike as she has spent greater than $28,000 every month since she took workplace — and introduced in much more every month.
Most lately in May, information present she spent $38,997 and hauled in $127,278 in her second time this yr when she’s raised greater than $100,000 in a month.
Much of the spending is unremarkable — sponsoring Little League groups, some journey for occasions, refunds to any donors who surpass $1,000 in a calendar yr.
But she’s additionally persevering with to spend on digital promoting — $1,000 to Facebook adverts and $2,000 for digital fundraising consulting, information present.
The marketing campaign electronic mail account, which didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Monday, periodically has been blasting out solicitations for cash, alternatively touting the mayor’s strikes and making pleas to “stay on track” with fundraising marks.
The May financial institution report additionally references two totally different fundraisers held — one at Capo in Southie and the opposite at Petit Robert within the South End — combining for a bit over $2,500 spent by the marketing campaign on food and drinks.
She’s additionally shelling out greater than $10,400 a month on employees, in keeping with the financial institution report from May, a month through which she additionally purchased a $2,997 podium.
It’s commonplace — certainly, it’s politically prudent — for a mayor to proceed to amass money even years away from the following scheduled reelection cycle. Former Mayor Marty Walsh famously sat upon a struggle chest of greater than $5 million lengthy earlier than he was able to announce a run for a 3rd time period.
Of course, Walsh can be the prime instance of the mercurial nature of politics on this means. Just earlier than he was able to wield that money into saying a reelection push — he even had the bumper stickers printed, he’d later allege — when incoming President Biden tapped him to run the U.S. Department of Labor.
So too may Wu, in concept, run for one thing else earlier than she’s again up for re-election as mayor till 2025. However, turnover in any interesting federal elected seats in 2024 is made considerably much less seemingly by the truth that neither Massachusetts senator is up for re-election that cycle, so vacancies are unlikely there for both her or her congresswoman, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, to fill.
In a special account, the mayor has been elevating dough for her “inauguration” — now coming after greater than 14% of the mayor’s four-year time period is up — which is a free “summer block party” scheduled for subsequent Thursday, June 30, and can be paid for with a fund that has amassed almost $1.1 million. That’s truly lower than Walsh’s $1.4 million in 2014.
The heavy majority of the inauguration cash got here in close to the beginning of the yr, when the occasion would have been if not for pandemic-related postponements.
Wu capped donations at $25,000, and Boston-area muckety-mucks scrambled to hit that, together with New England Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft, the Red Sox, political consultants Dewey Square Group, insurance coverage large Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and a handful of builders.
Over the previous few months extra big-wigs, resembling the rich space environmentalist Amos Hostetter, a JP Morgan Chase political motion committee, The Castle Group consultants and constitution bus firm Deacon Transportation spent 1000’s.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”