Candidates raising early money for Sonoma-area supervisorial seat

Candidates for Sonoma County's 1st District supervisorial seat are already filling their coffers, with the exception of incumbent Valerie Brown, who has yet to say whether she will run again.

Gina Cuclis, a communications consultant and former Sonoma planning commissioner, has taken the early fund-raising lead, according to campaign finance reports covering Jan. 1 through June 30.

Cuclis raised $12,734 from 78 individual donors and also loaned herself $9,000, records show.

Cuclis said the amounts are evidence that she has a broad base of support for her candidacy.

"I had all these people who early on said they didn't care who the other candidates are," Cuclis said Wednesday. "They said, &‘Gina, we know you would be really good at this job.'

" Mark Bramfitt, an energy consultant and board member on the Valley of the Moon Water District and Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission, loaned his campaign $20,100, records show. He also received a donation of $500.Bramfitt said Wednesday that he made the loan because he needed to cover expenses during what is traditionally a slow period for fund-raising.He took issue with Cuclis' analysis of her own fund-raising efforts."I think it's premature to be claiming broad support based on fund-raising this early in the campaign," he said.Brown, a former state assemblywoman and Sonoma mayor who was appointed to the 1st District seat in 2002 and has twice been re-elected, said Wednesday she will announce her intentions later this month.All of her paperwork is current for the June 2012 election.Records show that Brown raised no money from January to June for the election next year. She also has an outstanding debt of $15,774.But Brown said Wednesday that raising money "would be the least of my concerns" should she decide to enter the contest.

Mark Bramfitt, an energy consultant and board member on the Valley of the Moon Water District and Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission, loaned his campaign $20,100, records show. He also received a donation of $500.

Bramfitt said Wednesday that he made the loan because he needed to cover expenses during what is traditionally a slow period for fund-raising.

He took issue with Cuclis' analysis of her own fund-raising efforts.

"I think it's premature to be claiming broad support based on fund-raising this early in the campaign," he said.

Brown, a former state assemblywoman and Sonoma mayor who was appointed to the 1st District seat in 2002 and has twice been re-elected, said Wednesday she will announce her intentions later this month.

All of her paperwork is current for the June 2012 election.

Records show that Brown raised no money from January to June for the election next year. She also has an outstanding debt of $15,774.

But Brown said Wednesday that raising money "would be the least of my concerns" should she decide to enter the contest.