The Democratic primary in Baltimore has long since been decided, but thanks to the powers that be at the Maryland State Board of Elections, records of the financial maneuvering in the final days of primary season are just now being released.
Candidates for office were required to file campaign finance reports last week detailing spending from April 27 (18 days before the May 14 primary) to Aug. 20.
Below are four noteworthy donations made this campaign season, some in the final days before the primary and others recorded this summer.
The Paterakis family makes a late play for Sheila Dixon
For years, the Paterakis name was synonymous with three things: breadmaking, Harbor East and Baltimore politics. The well-heeled family made dozens of donations in past years to a variety of candidates and were big players in the city’s 2020 mayoral race.
This cycle, however, the family was considerably more quiet. They showed up in the final days of the Baltimore mayoral race when four members of the clan made donations to Democrat Sheila Dixon. John Paterakis Jr., Charles Paterakis and Stephen Paterakis all gave $1,000 to Dixon in May. Each of the three, all associated with H&S Properties, gave $1,500 earlier in the campaign cycle. William J. Paterakis of Northeast Foods contributed $3,000 on the day before the election.
While the family made a late push for Dixon, she wasn’t the only mayoral player they supported. In September 2023, John and Charles Paterakis both made $500 donations to Brandon Scott, the eventual winner in the Democratic mayoral primary. William Paterakis contributed $1,000 that same month and an additional $1,500 in March.
Remember William “Billy” Madonna Jr.?
Those on the political scene in Baltimore in the 1990s will recall William Madonna Jr.’s colorful and ultimately illegal schemes. The former state legislator known for his gift of gab was charged in 1999 for what prosecutors said was parlaying his friendship with a state senator into control of the city’s liquor board. The bribery charges against Madonna were dropped amid a high-profile trial. Madonna pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
In 2010, Madonna pleaded guilty again, this time to a federal charge stemming from a fundraising business that defrauded Fraternal Order of Police groups in the Baltimore and Washington area.
Why this trip down memory lane? Madonna, now in his 70s and living in Perry Hall, surfaced as a donor to Dixon. He contributed $5,000 to the former mayor in late April.
Scott reports donation over the max (again)
In April, The Baltimore Sun wrote that Scott, a Democrat and the city’s mayor since 2020, had reported donations from nine entities that exceeded the $6,000 maximum candidates are allowed from individual donors each election cycle. Later that month, Scott amended several campaign finance reports to correct reporting errors related to five of those contributors and issued refunds to four others.
Among the contributors who were issued refunds was Brandon Wylie, co-owner of florist Fleurs D’Ave. Wylie, a Randallstown resident, gave Scott $10,000 via three donations recorded in January 2023, August 2023 and January 2024. He was issued a $4,000 refund in April after The Sun reported the overage.
Scott’s latest campaign finance report, however, shows a new donation from Wylie, this time for $2,500. The contribution was recorded July 29. The current election cycle does not end until the end of 2026. Scott faces Republican Shannon Wright in the November election.
Scott’s campaign staff said they mistakenly reported the latest donation as an individual contribution from Wylie. The donation was intended to come from Wylie’s business. The campaign intends to amend Scott’s report to reflect the change, they said.
Scott gives to PAC opposing city ballot question
Scott has been vocal about his opposition to a ballot question that will appear on November ballots asking city voters to cut the size of the City Council in half, and last month he lent his first financial support to the cause.
The ballot question, sponsored by the People for Elected Accountability and Civic Engagement, has been chiefly funded by David Smith, executive chairman and CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group and co-owner of The Sun. The committee’s latest campaign finance filing shows Smith gave an additional $75,000 in February to the committee, making his total contribution this cycle $415,000. The committee submitted more than 25,000 signatures from city voters to the Baltimore City Board of Elections in January, securing a place on the November ballot.
In August, Scott contributed $5,000 to “Stop Sinclair,” a political committee established in July by Scott’s staff and campaign team to oppose the ballot question.
