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Seen here in 1890, City Hall has been the heart of Oswego city government for more than a century. Oswegony.org
_By Ken Sturtz
Editor-in-Chief

When Republican William “Dave” White declared his candidacy for Oswego mayor in June, he vowed to focus on quality of life issues and reclaim the mayor’s office from city Democrats.

However, White lost to Mayor Tom Gillen in November by more than 1,000 votes, while outspending Gillen five to one during the election, financial disclosure records show.

‘Friends of Dave White’ raised nearly $20,000 during 2011 through individual, group and corporate donations. ‘Friends of Tom Gillen’ raised roughly $7,700 during the same period.

The amount of money actually spent on the election was heavily weighted in White’s favor. White’s campaign spent more than $20,000, or about $14 for each vote he received. Gillen’s campaign spent around $4,400, or about $2 for each vote in his favor.

The disparity in spending became noticeable early in the race when lawn signs sporting White’s “It’s About the People” slogan began appearing across town. The signs eventually blanketed the seven and a half square-mile city of Oswego, overtaking Gillen’s “Believe” signs that dotted yards.

The lawn signs only told part of the story. Republicans sought to win back the mayor’s office in Oswego, one of the few key political offices in county and city government not held by one of their own.

In Oswego County, Republican voters outnumber Democrats by more than 15,000 and the GOP firmly controls the Legislature. The city of Oswego, however, is more balanced. There are 9,537 registered voters in the city, of which 3,336 are Democrats and 3,388 are Republicans. 2,813 voters make up other parties.

Gillen handily beat White 2,588 votes to 1,409 in the 2011 mayoral election.

With the new Common Council split between two Democrats and five Republicans, the mayor’s office became crucial. It had been under Republican leadership since 2000 in the form of former mayor John Gosek. However, Gosek resigned in 2005 in the wake of numerous scandals.

Those scandals served to win then acting mayor Randy Bateman to a full term as mayor in 2006. After Bateman declined to run for a second full term, Republicans were presented with a window of opportunity to find a suitable candidate for mayor.

The combination of a balanced number of city voters, not so distant memories of Republican scandal and a relatively successful Democrat mayor forced the GOP to assemble tremendous resources for the campaign.

Those resources came in the form of $500 from the Oswego City Republican Committee and $850 from the Oswego County Republican Committee. The Republican Committee gave White more money than any other Republican running for office outside the Legislature.

Democrats spent far less on the election. Gillen received no money from the Oswego City Democratic Committee and a mere $300 from the Oswego County Democratic Committee.

More than half the money White’s campaign spent was paid to Mitchell’s Speedway Press, in Oswego, for print campaign materials. Gillen’s campaign spent about half its money with Blue and Read, of Troy, for campaign literature.

Neither candidate purchased radio or television advertisements, instead focusing mainly on traditional media. White shelled out more than $1,200 for ads during the campaign to The Palladium-Times, Oswego County Weeklies and Oswego County Today. Gillen spent just $390 on ads with The Palladium-Times.

White’s spending wasn’t limited to campaign materials and ads. He spent money on a racecar sponsorship and website development. Gillen’s expenses included a fundraiser at Tamarack Golf Course and money to reserve a room at Vona’s Restaurant for election night. The Oswego City Democratic Committee picked up the bill for food and drinks.

The contributor list for White’s campaign fund reads as a who’s who of Oswego County Republicans. Among the expansive list of donors are many prominent Republican politicians and businessmen, who helped finance White’s run for mayor. Gillen’s much shorter list of contributors includes a small number of influential local Democrats and businessmen.

Gillen and White each received significant contributions from local labor and corporations.

Both candidates also contributed to their own campaign funds. White and his wife Sandra gave more than $2,000, most of which was added after the election to bring White’s campaign fund in the black. Gillen and his wife contributed about $300 at the beginning of the campaign.

Gillen, 62, of Varick Street, is a 1972 alumnus of SUNY Oswego, has lived in the city of Oswego his whole life and never held public office before. White, 72, of Montcalm Street, served on the Oswego School Board for six years, was Oswego Town supervisor for 14 years and lived in the town of Oswego 37 years before returning to the city a few years ago.
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