Dorow leads in 33rd District fundraising

Posted: March 29, 2010

A few weeks after announcing his candidacy for the 33rd Assembly District, Delafield resident Brian Dorow said he has received about $17,000 in campaign contributions.

"The most incredible thing is that we know you have to raise money to be a viable candidate," said Dorow. "But the most amazing thing to me at this point is the number of volunteers" who have also stepped in to contribute to his campaign, he said. Dorow said he has about 30 volunteers who will help his campaign in various ways, including going door-to-door.

Dorow also gave a long list of endorsements by Waukesha County notables, including Register of Deeds Jim Behrend, Waukesha County Board Supervisors Dave Falstad and Walter Kolb, Clerk of Courts Kathleen Madden and Jennifer Youngblood, who sits on the Republican Party of Waukesha County Executive Committee.

Dorow, also a member of the Waukesha County GOP, said he has taken a leave of absence from the county GOP so as not to interfere with day-to-day duties. The party has not offered an official endorsement to any candidate for the 33rd yet.

Dorow, his wife, Jennifer and children, Michael, 7, and Jonathan, 6, have called the 33rd home for the last several years, living in Delafield. They are members of Westbrook Church, and the children attend Lake Country Elementary School. Dorow works as associate dean of Waukesha County Technical College's Department of Criminal Justice, Center for Law Enforcement, Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism Initiatives.

Dorow will face off against incumbent Scott Newcomer and challengers Joe Deklotz and Chris Kapenga.

Kapenga

Kapenga is a certified public accountant and owns Integrity Holdings LLC, a business investment company. He and wife, Cari, live in Delafield with their two children, Hailey and Sophie. He has served on the School Board at West Suburban Christian Academy and was recently elected vice chairman of the Board. He also serves as director of the financial counseling ministry at Elmbrook Church, which provides lay counseling for people who are facing difficult financial situations. Kapenga recently announced a fundraising event slated over at a residence in Waukesha.

"Overall, our campaign has really secured the funds we need and now we are really able to focus on meeting people," Kapenga said in response to Dorow's report. He said the response from residents he's met has been overwhelming.

"It's pretty evident voters are frustrated and lost their trust in government and are looking for leaders from the private sector to step in," he said.

Kapenga said there are about 40 volunteers backing his campaign so far and will gain some more soon.

"We will have people from Scrima that will move over when is election is done," Kapenga said referring to City of Waukesha mayoral challenger, Jeff Scrima.

Deklotz

Up until this point, Deklotz has led fundraising efforts. He had raised more than $10,000 last December in individual campaign contributions. His opponents at the time, Newcomer, Kapenga and Larry Krause, said they weren't worried about the fundraising success, noting that there was plenty of time to raise money. Krause dropped out of the race earlier this month, saying it was the best decision for him and his family not to run at this time, though he will still serve as a supervisor on the Delafield Town Board and as a commissioner on the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District.

Deklotz announced his candidacy last September. The 25-year-resident and real-estate broker in Lake Country said on his campaign Web site that he's become disappointed in the performance of the state government, specifically as it relates to fiscal and social issues.

On Friday, Deklotz said contributions continue to trickle in for him.

"It's really not important how much money I've raised. At this point it's clear I'm a credible candidate - what's really important is what you do with the money," he said noting he's a conservative and instead of building a big war chest, he's focusing on one-on-one conversations with voters.

When asked to comment on Dorow joining the race. Deklotz said it doesn't matter how he feels about Dorow or his success, but it's important to know the motivations behind the candidate.

Newcomer

Newcomer has held the 33rd seat since 2005. He serves on four committees in Madison, including acting as chairman of the Assembly Financial Institutions Committee, vice chairman of the Education Committee, and standing member of the Health, Labor and Industry and State Affairs Committee.

Wisconsin's 33rd Assembly District includes Hartland, Chenequa, Nashotah, the City and Town of Delafield, Wales, North Prairie, the Town of Genesee, and portions of the Town of Mukwonago, Town and City of Waukesha and City of Pewaukee.

By the numbers

Monetary campaign contributions as of March 19 for the four candidates running for the 33rd Assembly District, according to the Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System, are:

Scott Newcomer $6,070; Chris Kapenga $4,575; Joe Deklotz $10,125.

*These numbers do not include existing funds and recent contributions that have not been reported to the Web site. For more information, visit the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Campaign Finance System at http://cfis.wi.gov/