In race for four open SCOE Board seats, Gorman has almost five times the donations of his closest competitor 

Ten candidates are running for four open seats on the Shasta County Office of Education Board. Of the candidates, only four have raised campaign funds.

Shasta Scout reviewed campaign finance documents submitted to the county as of Oct. 28. With nearly $44,000, incumbent Authur Gorman holds a clear lead in campaign earnings. He’s sharing the wealth by promoting Teresa Roberts and Michele Tyson for two of the other open seats. 

Gorman’s closest competitor is Bruce Ross with nearly $9,000. Lisa Barry and Madison Zimmerman have received only a fraction of what Gorman and Ross have raised, with Barry bringing in about $4,500 and Zimmerman raising about $2,300. 

Other candidates, including Roberts, Tyson, Nancy Walker and Dan Sloan have not reported any donations this year and candidates Dawn Willoughby and Shaye Stephens have not reported any donations at all, according to the Shasta public portal for campaign finance.

Who were the major donors to Gorman’s campaign? 

Gorman has more than 130 donors so far, with 25 having contributed over $500. Almost a quarter of his donors contributed more than once.  

Gorman is an incumbent who’s sat on the board since 2022. According to his SCOE bio, he’s been a registered nurse in Shasta for 13 years and a leader in youth sports as a director and coach. He also serves as treasurer for Shasta’s chapter of Moms For Liberty, a national organization that promotes itself as an advocate of parental rights while maintaining a focus on anti-trans advocacy and limiting access to books.

His largest donor was Margaret Hansen, a certified massage therapist and vice chair of the Shasta County Elections Commission, who contributed a total of $2,238 to Gorman’s campaign. Hansen also claims to be the owner of Another Day in Paradise, which contributed a total of $1,090, although a listing for the company is not available on the California business registry. 

The next highest donors, in order of donation size, include:

• Will Martin: $2,167
  • Martin is the owner of Flight Deck Grill.
• Jeffery Miles: $1,950
  • Miles is retired and has also donated $2,800 to Chris Kelstrom’s campaign for Shasta County Board of Supervisors.
• Wild Toad Landscaping Materials: $1,800
  • Wild Toad Landscaping Materials is a landscape materials supplier serving Redding, Cottonwood, Shasta and Tehama counties.
• Richard Wilkinson: $1,625
  • Wilkinson is a retired resident of Redding.
• Cathy Anderson: $1,485
  • Anderson is a retired resident of Redding.
• Jon Knight: $1,260
  • Knight is a local business owner, vice president of the Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District (MVCD) and the CEO for Mountain Top Media, according to the California Secretary of State’s registry.
• Lynda Kent: $1,060
  • Kent is an investor and tax preparer at Northstate Properties and is also listed as Gorman’s treasurer. She’s a manager for Mountain Top Media, according to the California Secretary of State’s registry. 
• Ronnean Lund: $1,040
  • Lund is on the board of directors for the Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District and is the chair of the Shasta County Elections Commission. 

Who were other notable donors to Gorman’s campaign?

• Corkey Harmon: $770
  • Harmon is the Shasta County supervisor for District 3.

• Teresa Roberts: $560
  • Roberts is an incumbent who’s also running for SCOE Board and is among the slate of candidates that Gorman is promoting for the four open seats.

Who were the major donors to Ross’ campaign? 

Communications director by day and 12-year Redding School District Board member by night, Ross is taking his shot at a spot on the SCOE board. Four out of 27 donors contributed $500 or more to his campaign, with his biggest contributor being his employer, California Senator Megan Dahle, who gave $2,000. 

The next highest donors, in order of donation size, include:

• Louise Ross: $1,000
  • Ross is a retired resident of Redding.
• Bruce Ross: $750
  • Ross donated $750 to his own campaign.
• Elinor Rosen: $500
  • Rosen is a resident of Sacramento.

Who were the notable donors to Ross’ campaign?

• Sierra Pacific Industries: $250
  • Sierra Pacific Industries is one of the largest U.S. lumber manufacturers. 
• David Kehoe: $250
  • Kehoe is a former Shasta County supervisor.
• Michelle Nystrom: $250
  • Nystrom is the community relations manager for Sierra Pacific Industries.
• Maureen Gaynor: $250
  • Gaynor is the owner of Gaynor Telesystems, a technology company in Northern California. 
• Russell Wenham: $200
  • Wenham is a current candidate for Redding City Council.
• Kristen Schreder: $200
  • Schreder is the former mayor of Redding.
• Joe Chimenti: $100
  • Chimenti is a former Shasta County supervisor.
• Lisa Barry: $100
  • Barry is a former teacher who is also running for SCOE.

Who were the major donors to Barry’s campaign?

Barry is a former teacher looking to secure a different spot on the education map. At a total of $4,500, the majority of Barry’s donations were from supporters in Burney, most notably Burney Fire Chief Robert May. 

Only one out of 19 donors contributed $500 or more:

• Dennis Swope: $500
  • Swope is a retired resident of Burney.

Who were other notable donors to Barry’s campaign?

• Cathy Darling Allen: $261
  • Darling Allen is a former election official who also donated the $600 to Ross and Zimmerman.
• Robert May: $250
  • May is the current Burney fire chief.
• Mary Rickert: $209
  • Rickert is a former Shasta County supervisor.

Who were the major donors to Zimmerman’s campaign? 

A self-proclaimed product of Shasta County schools, Zimmerman trails behind other candidates, with earnings of $2,320. Zimmerman’s donations came mostly from retired individuals, with the highest donations coming from Joanna Warrens, the Region 1 director for the California Democratic Party and from the Shasta County Democratic Women’s Club and Friends. 

Two out of eight donors contributed $500 or more:

• Joanna Warrens: $500
  • Warrens is the Region 1 director for the California Democratic Party. 
• Shasta County Democratic Women’s Club and Friends: $500
  • The group focuses its efforts within Shasta County “to advance the goals of the Democratic Party,” according to the organization’s website. The group has also endorsed Elise Ramirez Sloan, who is running for Redding City Council, and Dianna James, who is running for California Assembly District 1.

Who were other notable donors to Zimmerman’s campaign?

• Democratic Central Committee of Shasta County: $250
  • The Democratic Central Committee of Shasta County is a local affiliate of the California Democratic Party. Their mission is to “build, promote and sustain Democratic values and ideals,”according to their website. Zimmerman is on the board and serves as parliamentarian.
• Laura Manuel: $100
  • Manuel is a current SCOE member whose term is about to end.

Shasta Scout has published meet-the-candidate interviews with Barry, Zimmerman, Ross and Dan Sloan. The other candidates either did not respond to requests to interview or declined. 

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