Follow the Money: Campaign Finances for Grand Rapids 1st Ward Candidates

For the candidates who are on the August 4 Primary ballot, the public will have one week to access campaign finance information, especially since the local commercial news media tends to not report on campaign financing, especially for many of the local races, which GRIID noted in our Media Monitoring report during the last election cycle in 2024.

There are three candidates running for the open seat for the 1st Ward on the Grand Rapids City Commission. Those three candidates are as listed on the Kent County Clerk’s August 4th Primary Ballot:

• Jordoun Eatman
• Lindsey Perez-Plescher
• Steve Tibbe

What I will list is the amount each candidate has raised, what they have spent so far and the top donors.

Jordoun Eatman

According to campaign finance data from the Kent County Clerk’s office, Jordoun Eatman raised $8,475.55 and has spent a total of $3,599.84.

https://campaignfinance.us/docs.kent.mi/25111.PDF

https://campaignfinance.us/docs.kent.mi/25736.pdf

Top donors:

• Brandy McCallum-Martin (Director Experience GR) – $1,300
• Floria Bates – $1,225
• Craig Thompson (Global Human Resources Business Partner at Amway) – $1,225
• Mercedes Barragan – $1,200
• Tasha Blackmon – $500
• Katherine Hoffman (ED Garfield Park Neighborhood Association) – $400
• Charlie Dubose – $350
• Senita Lenear – $250
• Joe Jones – $250
• Stephanie Brown – $250
• Shaquanda Gordon – $250
• Lakessa Davis – $200
• Michelle Singleton – $200

Lindsey Perez-Plescher

According to campaign finance data from the Kent County Clerk’s office, Lindsey Perez-Plescher has raised $13,330 and has spent a total of $5,434.65.

https://campaignfinance.us/docs.kent.mi/25113.PDF

Top donors:

• Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters PAC – $5,000
• Kent County Democratic Party – $3,250
• Tami Vandenberg – $1,000
• West Michigan Plumbers, Fitters and Services Trades Local – $500
• Brittany Plescher – $500
• Steve Pestka – $300
• Carmen Vacaguzman (Tech Executive at Amway) – $300
• Lucas Gilles – $300
• Kurt Reppart – $200
• George Heartwell – $200

Steve Tibbe

According to campaign finance data from the Kent County Clerk’s office, Steve Tibbe raised $5,960.47 and has spent a total of $1,783.93.

https://campaignfinance.us/docs.kent.mi/25115.PDF

https://campaignfinance.us/docs.kent.mi/25717.PDF

Top donors:

• The Greater Regional Alliance of Realtors (GRAR) – $2,500
• Tim Maclam – $1,000
• Steve Tibbe – $1,000
• Claire Razmus – $333.72
• Bing Goei – $250
• Marcus Ringnalda – $206
• Paul Soltziak – $150
• Mark Murray – $100
• Dean Pacific – $100
• Andy DeVries – $100

Now, campaign finances alone should not decide how one will vote, people should consider what candidate platforms are, how embedded they are in communities – particularly affected communities, and voting records if they are incumbents. Each of the three First Ward candidates have questionable contributors: Eatman has the ED of Experience GR, a top executive at Amway and the ED of a neighborhood association; Perez-Plescher has a PAC, the local Democratic Party (even though this is a non-partisan position), and an executive from Amway; and Tibbe has realtor organization in a city facing a housing crisis (realtor groups are about making money not making sure everyone has a safe place to live), a member of the GR Power Structure (Mark Murray) and a former First Ward candidate that was connected to a dark money group that attacked his opponent in 2024 (Dean Pacific).