WILMINGTON — Campaign finance reports filed in the Wilmington City Council race show the seven candidates have collectively amassed $257,000 in the months leading up to the November municipal election. Top fundraisers include one incumbent and a challenger, both Republicans, accounting for 71% of total funds raised.
READ MORE: Wilmington mayoral candidates raise $138K ahead of November election
The race is financially dominated by Republican incumbent Luke Waddell’s campaign, followed by Republican challenger Richard Collier. Waddell has raised $111,781, with Collier coming in at $70,952.
The remaining five candidates include Democrat Cassidy Santaguida bringing in $28,802; Democrat JC Lyle with $20,577; Democrat Chakema Clinton-Quintana at $17,029; Democrat Clifford Barnett at $6,955; and Republican Kelly Roberts has collected $740.
Waddell and Collier’s spending strategies have focused on high-budget consulting and visual advertising (billboards/media). Santaguida and Barnett employ targeted operations, with Santaguida prioritizing campaign management and direct mail and Barnett relying primarily on signage. Clinton-Quintana and Lyle utilize the most in-kind contributions (non-cash gifts of services or goods), while Roberts runs the most minimalist operation, marking $740 spent solely on signage.
Collier, Waddell and Lyle receive a combined $57,000 in support from the real estate and development sector. In contrast, Santaguida and Barnett have drawn from established political and community networks, with Santaguida’s largest donation coming from a former North Carolina Senate candidate Marcia Morgan and Barnett’s support connected to Mayor Bill Saffo’s family network. Clinton-Quintana stands out with a largely varied base of 45 contributions under $100.
Below is the breakdown of reports filed so far from January 1, 2025, to Sept. 23, 2025. The next report, to cover financial activity through Oct. 20, is due to be released on Oct. 27.
Luke Waddell
Incumbent council member Luke Waddell’s $111,781 raised so far accelerated in the last 35 days. During that period, he brought in almost 41% of his total — or $46,825.
Waddell’s campaign expenses equal $43,013. Notable expenditures included $3,555 for billboard advertising in June and a $2,625 contribution made to the New Hanover County GOP in March.
Waddell’s funding base, which incurred $108,755 in individual contributions, demonstrates strong support from the real estate and development community; Waddell is the CEO, founder, and principal broker for Cadence Realty Corp. Notable contributions in June included $5,000 from contractor Matthew Winslow with Winslow Holdings. Winslow is an owner/contractor in the real estate sector and a current North Carolina House Representative for District 7. Real estate broker Tim Milam with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage also contributed $3,000.
Further support came from current officials, with New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise contributing $3,400 and Wrightsville Beach Mayor Pro Tem Henry “Hank” Miller III, seeking re-election as WB alderman this year, adding $1,000. Waddell also accepted $500 from the Committee to Elect LeAnn Pierce, current New Hanover County commissioner.
In terms of organized political support, Waddell received $500 from the MSC PAC, the political action committee for national engineering and development firm MS Consultants, Inc., which maintains a local office on Front Street.
Richard Collier
Civil engineer with McKim and Creed, Richard Collier demonstrates $70,952 raised and $42,981 spent to date, leaving the campaign with $27,971 in on-hand cash. The majority of the funds — $69,952 — came from individual contributions.
Collier received multiple maximum contributions — which is $6,800, according to North Carolina campaign finance laws — also from the real estate and development sector. Large donors include D. Logan of Logan Development and real-estate investor Gregg Goldenberg with The Ardent Company.
Other major contributions came from Craig Stevens (Stevens Fine Homes, $2,000), Mayfaire developer Hyman Brody ($2,500) — who Collier has worked with on the Reserve at Mayfaire apartments and the proposed Mayfaire West development — Tim Milam (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage, $2,000), and George Pittman (Intracoastal Real Estate, $1,000).
Key political figures also contributed, including $100 from state senator Michael Lee (in his capacity as an attorney), $500 from former New Hanover County commissioner and current Endowment board member Woody White, and $500 from NHC commissioner chair Bill Rivenbark’s political committee.
The Collier campaign itself made notable donations to political allies, including $500 to the Committee to Elect Michael Lee and $500 to Phil Berger for North Carolina Senate.
Collier’s expenses focus heavily on strategy, consulting, and maximum visual impact through advertising, with $5,500 going to Muse Consultants Group for marketing development and $3,000 to Starboard Strategies for consulting and social media assistance.
His largest expenses are for outdoor advertising, paying $6,820 to Lamar Outdoor and $2,500 to Grey Advertising for billboards. The campaign funded $4,949 to New Hanover Printing for signage, $1,510 to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal for print ads, and $747 to Facebook for social media ads.
Chakema Clinton-Quintana
Chakema Clinton-Quintana has raised a total of $17,029 to date. Total expenditures stand at $13,012, covering items such as $2,145 paid to A.G.E Graphics for yard signs and a $150 contribution to Josh Stein for North Carolina.
The majority of her funding comes from individual donors, totaling $14,219, which includes 45 separate contributions under $100. The largest singular donor is Wilmington-based entrepreneur Atiba Johnson, who has given a cumulative total of $1,924 to the campaign. Johnson is the certified professional business advisor at Channel, an inclusive small business center powered by Live Oak Bank where Clinton-Quintana serves as director.
Also vice president of inclusive small business with Live Oak Bank, Clinton-Quintana received $1,125 in total from two Live Oak bankers Christine O’Brien and Anthony Raley.
Other notable contributions include $1,000 each from interior designer Mary Boney Denison and Huntley Garriott of Movement Holdings Company. The campaign also received a $250 contribution from current Wilmington council member David Joyner, who donated in his individual capacity as a state attorney.
A substantial portion of the campaign’s resources is accounted for by $8,614 in in-kind contributions. These dollar figures represent what the campaign would have had spend at normal market price. Services include $3,950 for campaign marketing like branding, website development, and social media. Other in-kind support covered $2,000 for the venue rental for Clinton-Quintana’s launch party and $2,000 to the North Carolina Democratic Party to access its Votebuilder voter database.
JC Lyle
JC Lyle, senior regional director for Eastern North Carolina at Wesley Community Development, has filed an amended 35 day report correcting her initial figures. The campaign has raised a total of $23,634 and has spent $21,498 to date. This leaves her campaign with a cash-on-hand balance of $2,135 at the end of the reporting cycle.
Lyle’s funding relies heavily on large individual contributions, totaling $19,677. The money came from a narrow base, with 16 contributions under $100. The largest single contribution was $3,000 in August from Brian Eckel, co-founder of Cape Fear Commercial. Other major donors include Grey Vick of Grey Door LLC, who contributed $2,000, and Jonathan Berger, who gave $750. Berger ran for North Carolina House of Representatives’ District 20 in 2024, but lost to Republican Ted Davis Jr.
The campaign also received $200 from departing Wilmington council member Charlie Rivenbark in April; Rivenbark and Lyle previously worked together as she served on the planning commission board, where she was a member from 2018 to 2024 spending three years as chair. Real estate consultant John Lennon, who also is a planning commission member for the city and served with Lyle, donated $100 in June. Lennon ran for a seat on city council in 2023 and was the biggest fundraiser that year, but was beat out by Kevin Spears, David Joyner and Salette Andrews.
Lyle personally provided a substantial boost to her campaign’s resources, listing $5,834 in in-kind contributions to cover digital advertising, campaign staff salaries, and billboards.
Operational expenses focused on consulting, staffing, and advertising. Lyle paid $1,200 to Liz Carbone with Home Team Consulting, $1,136 to Griffin Pace, a campaign staffer, and $1,027 to Sean Olds, the current planner for Pender County, for staffing services.
Her largest expenses were for marketing, including $2,211 to signage company Signs on the Cheap, $723 to Duncan-Parnell for signage, and $927 to SAJ Media LLC for print advertising.
Clifford Barnett
Incumbent council member Clifford Barnett raised a total of $6,955 and has reported $3,209 in expenses. Barnett’s expenditures are singular, with the only one listed for $3,209 to Precision Signz for campaign signage.
The campaign’s individual contributions totaled $6,500, coming from a small base of donors, with 11 contributions under $100. Barnett received significant financial support from Mayor Bill Saffo’s family network, including Despina Saffo ($500) and Anthony Saffo ($1,500).
The campaign also received $250 from Wilmington council member David Joyner, who donated in his individual capacity as an assistant district attorney. Other large contributions came from Wilmington residents, including $1,000 from Julian Harris, $500 from Jerry Nash, $500 from David Spencer, and $300 from Lee Edwards.
Cassidy Santaguida
Cassidy Santaguida has brought in $28,802 and spent $20,218, leaving her with a moderate cash balance.
The largest single expense was $7,000 to Southbridge Political Partners for campaign management services, covering web design and social media. Her primary method of voter contact investment is direct mail, with $6,199 paid to The Meda Corporation for mailers. Her campaign also invested in digital and physical advertising, spending $585 to Facebook for digital ads, $1,560 to A.G.E. Graphics for yard signs, and $900 to Davis Media/Port City Daily for digital ads.
The campaign received support from four political figures. The largest contribution, $2,500, came from former state Senate candidate Marcia Morgan, a retired Army colonel who ran against Sen. Michael Lee in 2022. Other political support included $250 from Wilmington council member David Joyner, $200 from State House District 18 Representative Deb Butler, and $150 from New Hanover County School Board member Tim Merrick.
A $1,500 contribution also was given from film producer Beth Crookham.
Kelly Roberts
Kelly Roberts is running a minimalist campaign, raising and spending an identical amount of $740.
Roberts funded his campaign entirely through in-kind contributions — non-monetary gifts of goods or services — and reported no cash donations. The amount raised was split evenly: $365 was an in-kind contribution from Diane Zarki for yard signs, and the remaining $365 was an in-kind contribution from Roberts himself, also for signage.
Ed. note: This article was updated to include candidate JC Lyle’s amended 35 day finance report. The amendment changed the campaign’s final figures, resulting in an updated total amount raised of $23,634 and correcting her cash-on-hand balance to a surplus of $2,135.
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