EASTON, Pa. — It might be no surprise that Easton Councilman Peter Melan, who's a candidate for city mayor, amassed less than half of incumbent Sal Panto Jr.’s fundraising.
But it appears Melan, a proponent for change in local government, spent more than double what Panto did on campaign materials.
- Easton's mayoral candidates both dedicated the bulk of their expenditures on mailers and other materials
- Councilman Peter Melan spent nearly $10,000 more than his incumbent Mayor Sal Panto Jr. did as of May 1
- Panto has stated he will not be leaving "money in the bank," campaigning will continue until the very end of the race
As the primary election campaign — which essentially will decide the overall mayoral race, as no Republican candidate has stepped up — comes to an end, looking at the expenditures of each candidate reveals an interesting approach to the contest.
Mailers, postcards and other promotional materials often form the backbone of a local government race, with constituents seeing multiple pieces in their mailboxes throughout campaign season.
And Easton is no different, with both candidates doling out the bulk of their expenditures on those items via Lehigh Valley Print Center, which features a dedicated section for local campaign materials.
So how much did each candidate raise and spend for their campaign?
Melan raises less, spends more
Melan said he felt his use of funding was strategic and yielded the results he was seeking, and that most of the money accrued went toward “advertising, mail, Facebook advertising, [and] social media advertising.”
“I think people still like to see a piece of mail," he said. "I sent out several pieces, with the last one being delivered on Monday. And right now, I'm just kind of focused on just finishing out the campaign with some social media stuff."
I was very wise with how I planned for the expenditures. You know, there's always the old school where too much is too much, and too those too little.Peter Melan, candidate for Easton mayor
Of his $26,745.24 in available funding from Jan. 1 to May 1, Melan spent a total of $17,143.73, with $10,863.38, or more than 63% of those funds going to Lehigh Valley Print Center for printing and postage costs, along with custom cards and fundraising invitations.
Asked whether if he felt he had to spend more on his campaign as a challenger to Panto, Melan described his spending as “strategic.”
“I was very wise with how I planned for the expenditures," he said. "You know, there's always the old school where too much is too much, and too those too little.
“So I think just based on my own analysis and my own plan, I feel that I've interacted with constituents as best as I could. And hopefully, I've given them a compelling argument, and the results will be positive on Tuesday.”
Overall, Melan said his focus on interaction with the community as a keystone for his campaign strategy and spending — “knocking on doors … going to events… I think people just seeing me out in the open has given them a really good way to interact with me.”
In addition, Melan credits his website as a valuable campaign resource, saying it has “given people just that extra bit of confidence” by clearly displaying his platform and providing a method for contact and interaction.
“What I've heard so far is the fact that I respond to them and converse with them is very positive," Melan said. "So I think just being out and just being responsive, I think people tend to see that as a very good quality as a candidate."
Panto spends scantly
Panto, on the other hand, amassed a hefty bank of funds for the campaign, though he barely spent more than 10% of what was available — again, mostly for printing campaign mailers and materials.
With his total funds available from Dec. 31, 2022, through May 1, amounting to $67,852.48, Panto only spent $7,109.94. Predominantly, payments went to Lehigh Valley Print Center, with Panto’s campaign dropping $5,262.36 on mailers and signs — about 74% of his expenditures overall.
Now, with more than $60,000 left in his fund balance, Panto has stated he won’t “leave money in the bank,” adding “We're going to keep working up till eight o'clock on Tuesday night.”
Panto has maintained his position as a fixture in the community, frequently showing up at public events and interacting with constituents. While that's nothing new for the mayor, inside or outside of campaign season, increased exposure has certainly played well with the community.
You know, [with] our signage, our visibility, [our] committee has done a great job with getting our name out there and recognition.Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr.
As the favorite in the race, it makes sense Panto barely scratched the surface of his assets, though he said his team has focused on name recognition as a strategy.
It appears Panto was confident enough in his team’s game plan that they didn't even need to invest in a dedicated campaign website, as Melan did.
In addition, the incumbent mayor said he felt there was little to no need to address his opponent in any campaign materials, as Melan had not “challenged” him on any hot-topic issues.
"You know, [with] our signage, our visibility, [our] committee has done a great job with getting our name out there and recognition," Panto said.
“I think as an incumbent council member, [Melan] should have known the issues. And I don't think he challenged me on any of the issues. I mean, he has no action plan at all.
"He says we've done a great job. He's put no action plan out there. The only thing he's saying is we need to change. We didn't feel there was anything to rebut.”
Easton’s mayoral primary will take place Tuesday, May 16. For more information about the race, and all things politics in the Lehigh Valley, visit our Roundup page.
