Campaign spending has livened up the Davis County School Board race.
Shauna Nakaya, District PTA director and candidate for the school board's Precinct 2 seat, said she questions the need for her opponent to spend more than three times her campaign budget. His campaign includes a billboard along I-15.Eastman has spent more than any of the other board candidates. He said he has raised $3,000 and accepted $1,000 in "in-kind" donations. One of those donations was a political advertisement on a billboard placed along I-15. He said he got the free advertising in trade for a contract to advertise his car dealership in the same space after the election.
"I feel like the campaign is not on issues but just on name and money. I am trying to run my campaign on a shoestring," Nakaya said. She has a campaign budget of $900.
"I guess like so many other things it is who you know," she said.
Eastman said most of the money has come from supporters. He feels he has an obligation to use the money particularly in the face of an active door-to-door campaign run by Nakaya. She said she would support placing spending limits on school board elections.
"I was urged by my supporters to run a professional campaign and had to balance time and money," Eastman said. "I'm not trying to buy this position."
He noted that his business and health problems had kept him from campaigning as actively as Nakaya. The extra money helps make up the difference.
Eastman will spend more money than all of the other school board candidates running. Precinct 3 candidate Lynn Summerhays has come the closest to Eastman by spending $2,900.
Eastman argued that he has spent less than many legislative candidates but will represent one and half times more people than a state representative. Eastman said the money has paid for about 6,500 pamphlets. Nakaya has distributed 7,500 but says hers are much less expensive than Eastman's. Both said they had 100 lawn signs printed for the campaign.
(Chart) Davis School Board races
Candidates Expenditures Precinct 1 Ray Briscoe $2,800 Wayne Westergard $855 Precinct 2 Shauna Nakaya $900 Dan Eastman $4,000 Precinct 3 Lynn Summerhays $2,900 Newell Law $450-$500