Sharif Hidayat, who is running for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Board of Education, is spending the most money on his campaign, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
According to Maryland's campaign finance database, Hidayat reported a cash balance of $12,139.86.
He reported $13,753.19 in contributions in the last campaign reporting cycle. The report, due April 9, does not list any additional campaign contributions from Hidayat. He spent his $1,613.33.
Two candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Chevra Evans in the 4th District reported receiving approximately $10,000 each in campaign contributions. Laura Stewart raised $14,358.70 and spent $3,67.68 to report $10,682.12 in her campaign account. Bethany Mandel's cash balance is her $8,807.19. She collected her $9,246.32 in donations and spent $439.13.
Evans has $3,749.62 in cash on hand. During her most recent campaign finance cycle, she raised her $1,856.29 and spent $284.29.
In District 2, incumbent Rebecca Smondrowsi reported a previous balance of $6,053.84. She did not report her contributions or expenditures in the most recent cycle.
Brenda Diaz raised $1,184.04 and spent $617.46 for a cash balance of $566.58. Natalie Zimmerman has raised $1,540, spent $12 and has $1,528 in her campaign account. Ricky Fai Mui has $1,388 in her account. He collected his $1,400 and spent $12. Aby Thioye raised $3,255 and spent $252.61, bringing his balance to $3,002.39.
In the at-large race, incumbent Lynn Harris, executive vice president, has $4,059.32 in cash on hand. In her latest campaign, she raised $4,210 and spent $150.68.
Melissa Kim raised $1,694 in campaign funds and spent $632, leaving her with $1,062 in cash. Fitzgerald Mofar has raised $5,455 and spent $1,863, leaving her with a balance of $3,328.49. Rita Montoya's campaign account has a cash balance of $5,078. In the latest cycle, she reported raising her $7,235 and spending $2,156.22.
Jonathan Long has filed an affidavit stating that he has limited contributions and expenditures, meaning he does not intend to raise or spend more than $1,000.
The Board of Education consists of two at-large members and five at-large members who reside in the school districts they represent. All voters are eligible to vote for one at-large representative and one candidate for Wards 2 and 4, regardless of where they live or what political party they are registered with.
The top two vote-getters in District 2, District 4 and At-Large will advance to the November election.
If elected in November, BOE commissioners will serve four-year terms and earn an annual salary of $25,000.