McEachron

McEachron still brings in the most donations
BY BROOKE EDWARDS
STAFF WRITER

VICTORVILLE • Though he’s not up for re-election again until 2012, Councilman Ryan McEachron easily raised and spent the most money in 2009 of any sitting or challenging Victorville candidate.

McEachron brought in more than $40,000 last year. Most of those funds went to repay more than $50,000 in loans he’d taken from his own ISU-ARMAC Insurance Agency to fund his successful campaign efforts in 2008.

And, though he’s been critical in the past of the city’s relationship with Newport Beach-based developer Inland Energy and its president, William Buck Johns, McEachron accepted $6,250 in combined support from Inland and a political action committee run by Johns.

The councilman’s single largest contributor in 2009 was John’s PAC Progress Victorville, which donated a total of $5,000. McEachron also got $1,250 directly from Inland Group in 2009.

Ironically, Progress Victorville spent $150,000 trying to help the incumbent council members get re-elected in the last go-round, including shuffling money to another PAC that spent thousands on “hit piece” mailers knocking McEachron.

“During the campaign I was heavily attacked and had to take out several loans from my own business just to counteract that,” McEachron explained Friday.

“And so I’m appreciative of whatever money comes my way to help pay back that debt.”

McEachron denied that he missed his first council meeting last month because a payment to Inland was on the agenda.

“I was at an annual business golf trip in Arizona,” McEachron said, explaining the event was planned and plane tickets purchased months before the agenda was set.

“None of those contributions influence my vote,” he said. “I do whatever is in the best interest of the citizens of Victorville. Just because someone’s contributed to me that doesn’t buy my vote.”

Other large donations to the councilman’s campaign in 2009 included $3,000 from city attorney Andre de Bortnowsky’s law firm, and $2,500 in contributions from the Victorville Professional Firefighters, local developer Dan Tate and several Victorville LLCs based in Los Angeles, plus $1,000 from a number of local businesses and the Committee to Elect Brad Mitzelfelt. McEachron also got smaller donations from this cycle’s challenging council candidate Angela Valles and from incumbent Councilman Terry Caldwell’s campaign committee.

McEachron ended the year with nearly $5,000 in his campaign fund.

Brooke Edwards may be reached at (760) 955-5358 or at bedwards@VVDailyPress.com.