Follow the Money: See where the money is coming from for those running for the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education

According to the Kent County Clerk’s office, there are seven people running to fill four seats for the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education. Those seven candidates are: Amber Kilpatrick, Arick Davis, Norma Lopez, Tonya Williams, Eleanor Moreno, Ismalis Nuñez, Jordoun Eatman and Richard Williamson. 

As of Sunday, October 27, when I wrote this article, 5 of the seven candidates had submitted their campaign finance data. Norma Lopez filed for a waiver in August, since they did not expect to raise funds, and Tonya Williams received a letter from the Clerk’s office for failure to submit campaign finance data. 

Here is the campaign finance data for the other 5 school board candidates, list in order of the amount raised.

• Richard Williamson – $15,765.29
• Arick Davis – $9,816.71
• Amber Kilpatrick – $7,462.00
• Ismalis Nunez – $7,063.00
• Eleanor Moreno – $2,925.00
• Jordoun Eatman – $2,495.00

Where is the money coming from?

When filing campaign finances, candidates must list the person who contributed, the amount and the date of the contribution. If an individual or a PAC gives more then once it is listed as an addition contribution. Amber Kilpatrick received 139 different contributions, Arick Davis 70, Eleanor Moreno 30, Ismalis Nuñez 87, Jordoun Eatman 15, and Richard Williamson received 192 contributions. Next I want to look at some of the larger contributions to each of the 5 candidates, along with other notable contributions.

According to the campaign finance records, here are the top 5 contributions to Amber Kilpatrick’s campaign: Progressive Women’s Alliance of West MI PAC $250, Grace Johnson $250, George Heartwell $200, MEA PAC $200, and Alexander Zidarevich $200. There was nothing else notable about the contributions to Amber Kilpatrick’s campaign.

According to the campaign finance records, here are the top 5 contributions to Arick Davis’s campaign: Carl Erikson $2082.88, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce $1000, Tony Baker $520.87, Aaron Jonker $500, and Mark Laman $260.90. Carl Erikson is the founder of Atomic Object. Tony Baker is a former GRPS School Board member. Besides the $1000 Davis received from the GR Chamber of Commerce, he received contributions from 2 of their more public staff members, Omar Cuevas and Josh Lunger.

According to the campaign finance records, here are the top 5 contributions to Eleanor Moreno’s campaign: Marta Johnson $900, Maria Moreno-Reyes $320, Progressive Women’s Alliance of West MI PAC $250, MEA PAC $200, and the Michigan Education Defense Fund $100. The only noteworthy contribution is from the Michigan Education Defense Fund, which was started by Jeff Winston. According to records from the Michigan Secretary of State, the Michigan Education Defense Fund has only begun funding in 2024.

According to the campaign finance records, here are the top 5 contributions to Ismalis Nuñez’s campaign: Josh & Henry Inc. $750, Noel Maloof $500, Progressive Women’s Alliance of West MI PAC $250, Ashley Crawford $250, and Jessica Cruz $250. The only thing worth noting for contributions to Nunez’s campaign is that there are several from people who live out of state.

According to the campaign finance records, here are the top 5 contributions to Jordoun Eatman’s campaign: Marta Johnson/Climate Cabinet $900, Brandy McCallum Martin $500, LaTarro Traylor $250, Anedra Eatman $200, and Michelle Singleton $100. There was nothing noteworthy about the contributions to Eatman’s campaign.

According to the campaign finance records, here are the top 5 contributions to Richard Williamson’s campaign: Teresa Barcy $1200, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce $1000, Michigan Laborers Political League $1000, McAlvey Merchant PAC $500, and Linda DeKock $500. There are several contributors to Williamson’s campaign who list their employment with the Democratic Party. This makes sense, as Williamson himself is currently the Deputy Finance Director for the Michigan Senate Democrats. There were also contributions from two individuals, one who works for The WinMatt Group and the other for 270 Strategies. Both of these groups are involved in electoral campaigns, PR and consulting work. 

Then there is the McAlvey Merchant PAC. According to Transparency USA, the McAlvey Merchant PAC directs funds to both Democrats and Republicans. The top contributor to this PAC is Rusty Merchant, who co-founded McAlvey Merchant & Associates, plus he used to be the Vice President of Government Affairs for the GR Chamber of Commerce and was Chief of Staff for Andrew Raczkowski, a Republican State Representative. The second largest contributor to the McAlvey Merchant PAC is Michael Jandernoa. Jandernoa is part of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.