County legislator Lori Cornell (D-Jamestown), left, and legislator and County Executive Candidate Vince Horrigan (R-Bemus Point) are getting an early start on fundraising for the 2013 elections.
While the November elections are still more than five and a half months away, a couple of local lawmakers are starting to get into fundraising modes for their campaign.
Vince Horrigan (R-Bemus Point), who is running for County Executive – the top elected position in the county and subsequently, the most expensive in terms of campaign financing – says he’s already started the campaign financing process.
“I’ve started to put together some organization,” Horrigan explained. “We’ll have to make sure that we abide by all of the specifics in terms of fundraising. I want to make sure I get that exactly right so that we don’t have any questions at all on what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and how we’re handling those contributions. But obviously we need to have funds to share our message.”
Another lawmaker who’s also working on fundraising in the early stages of a campaign is County Legislator Lori Cornell (D-Jamestown).
Cornell has taken an outside the box approach to fundraising by hosting an annual “Ladies Night Out: Spa and Cocktail Party” in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hotel Jamestown. The event – which takes place Friday Night – features various local businesses presenting their services to women and guests from throughout the Jamestown area.
Cornell says this is the fourth year’s she organized the event.
“I purposely make the event completely open to the public. It’s all inclusive and I just encourage anyone out there to attend,” Cornell told WRFA recently. “Fundraising is one of those things that can be difficult and a laborious task for any candidate that runs for office. I don’t know anyone out there that actually enjoys raising money. So four years ago I came up with this idea to make lemonade out of lemons, if you will, and turn what might otherwise be a tedious task into something that is fun and enjoyable for the entire community.”
Cornell adds that the proceeds from the event not only go to support her campaign, but she also uses some of the funding for other local female candidates. She also says it serves a second purpose because it puts the spotlight on local businesses.
Cornell has not yet announced if she plans to run for reelection as a county legislator for Jamestown or if she will be seeking another public office. Cornell ran an unsuccessful bid for County Clerk during the 2005 election. She was first elected to the county legislature in 2009.
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