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Opinion: Three Republican Hamilton County mayoral candidates together raise almost $700,000

Staff File Photo by Matt Hamilton / Republican candidates for Hamilton County mayor — and a job in the Hamilton County Courthouse — have collected nearly $700,000 by Jan. 15, according their financial disclosure forms.
Staff File Photo by Matt Hamilton / Republican candidates for Hamilton County mayor — and a job in the Hamilton County Courthouse — have collected nearly $700,000 by Jan. 15, according their financial disclosure forms. Staff File Photo by Matt Hamilton / Republican candidates for Hamilton County mayor — and a job in the Hamilton County Courthouse — have collected nearly $700,000 by Jan. 15, according their financial disclosure forms.

By Clint Cooper 4 min read

By mid-January, the three candidates in what in essence is the first modern-day Republican primary for Hamilton County mayor raised nearly $700,000, and the campaign still has more than three months to go.

Since the county adopted the mayor/commission form of government in 1978, it has had only three mayors, Dalton Roberts, Claude Ramsey and current Mayor Jim Coppinger. Roberts was a Democrat, and Republicans Ramsey and Coppinger never faced a serious primary threat.

So when Coppinger announced he would retire last fall, the field became wide open. To date, for Republicans, nonprofit executive Weston Wamp, former home improvement company owner Matt Hullander and Hamilton County Commission Chairwoman Sabrena Smedley have offered their services.

Financial disclosure forms for the three, reporting contributions through Jan. 15, showed amounts of more than $200,000 for each, totaling $690,559.41.

That’s where it gets interesting.