Both Cape Girardeau County Commission candidates drawing high-profile local donors

In the race for District 2 commissioner in Cape Girardeau County, the fundraising reports submitted this week by both campaigns provide insights into where each candidate finds his strength.

Rock Finch, who is running as an independent to challenge incumbent Republican Jay Purcell, reported raising almost $14,500 since beginning his campaign with a petition drive in July. Purcell reported bringing in $11,472 for his campaign, all of it since forming a committee in early September.

Finch's report shows a list of supporters that includes some of the best-known names in Cape Girardeau business and politics. Purcell has fewer contributors, but he, too, has some prominent business names.

Finch, a longtime area businessman in banking and insurance, took contributions from Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson, Dalhousie developer Cord Dombrowski, former county commissioner Joe Gambill, former judge Stanley Grimm and Reg and Kathy Swan, the owners of JCS Tel-Link who are deeply involved in Republican politics.

Purcell, meanwhile, reported contributions from T. Robin Cole, owner of the Rite Group, Andrew Bard of Computer 21 and Nip Kelley Construction Co., owned by Terrence and Kim Kelley. The Kelleys formerly owned Kelley Transportation, purchased for $360,000 by the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority in a deal Purcell helped broker.

Finch said Thursday he had not seen Purcell's financial report. He said his contributors are offering support based on his lengthy business experience.

"I would say that because of their position of being employers and bosses, I look at those kind of folks as community backbone support," Finch said. "You are looking at people who have positions of hiring and firing and deciding on benefits for folks and covering them on workers' comp."

Finch said he wasn't worried voters would view his supporters as the embodiment of the "old boy network" and "cronyism" that Purcell has charged permeate county government.

"I kind of look at it like this: These are influential people who are really dedicated to this community in order to push it forward to the next level. That is how I kind of see them," Finch said.

The $1,500 Purcell received from the Kelleys represent almost 16 percent of his donations, excluding his $2,200 loan to his campaign. He said the transit deal had nothing to do with the donation. He is longtime friends with the Kelleys, who have supported him in past campaigns, he said.

Purcell noted that improved transit service was a top priority of the United Way and had been a major issue for the Cape Girardeau City Council during his tenure on that body. "It has nothing to do with the donation," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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