In county commissioner races, who’s funding the campaigns? 

Sean Malone, an attorney with LandWatch Lane County, had questions for two county commissioners as they recently reviewed a land-use case.

The case involved an application for a dwelling near the McKenzie River. A hearing officer had sided with county staffers, who agreed with LandWatch Lane County that the application should be denied.

But, speaking during the Lane County Board of Commissioners’ meeting Tuesday, May 12,  Malone brought up another issue beyond the complicated land-use questions: The applicant, Kathleen Jones-McCann, had donated to the campaigns of two commissioners facing reelection: Ryan Ceniga, the current chair, and David Loveall.

Malone asked Ceniga if he’s aware of any campaign contributions he’s received from Jones-McCann.

“Yes, I am,” Ceniga said. 

“Do you know how much?” Malone prodded. 

“Not to date — no,” Ceniga responded. 

Malone helped him out: “That figure would be $30,000.”

“A reasonable person could look at that and imagine that that is some sort of quid pro quo,” Malone continued. “Is that the case here?”

First, Ceniga deferred to the county’s attorney. He asked county counsel Rob Bovett if campaign donations are found to be a bias factor.

“Generally speaking, no — unless it causes you bias,” Bovett said. 

Ceniga confirmed it: “No. Thank you.”

Loveall got the same line of questioning: Malone asked if his donations (over $30,000) from Jones-McCann affected his impartiality. Loveall said they did not. 

Commissioners heard testimony Tuesday in an appeal of the matter, but have yet to take action.

The exchange came exactly one week before the May 19 elections — and it was a reminder that, before the votes are tallied, campaign contributions flow to candidates.

Those contributions are the financial lifeblood of a candidate’s run, playing a vital role in how far they can go in getting out the word to voters, introducing themselves if they are new to politicking and educating voters about their stances on issues.

The contributions pay for billboards, advertising, staffing and other efforts to connect with voters. They also offer a window into who is financially supporting a candidate, from industry trade groups to wealthy community members to everyday blue-collar workers. 

Here’s a look at the money race in each of the three county commissioner contests, as of Thursday, May 14: 

Springfield District race 

So far this year, Loveall has received $134,562 in contributions, which includes $8,215 in in-kind contributions for surveys and advertising. He had a $6,180 balance from 2025 that carried over into 2026, giving him $140,472 to run for a second term this year. 

So far, Loveall has spent nearly $120,000 of his money, with $20,811 left for the final days of his campaign. 

Loveall’s top donors include Community Action Network, which has given three cash donations totaling $51,500 and an in-kind donation of $3,500 for surveys and polling. 

Campaign finance records show Community Action Network is a political committee based in Eugene, which gets donations from interests that include timber, construction and fuel companies like Sierra Pacific Industries, Wildish Land Co., Goshen Forest Products and Swanson Brothers Lumber Co. It’s pouring money into two other county campaigns: Ceniga’s race and Jake Pelroy’s race against Commissioner Heather Buch. 

Loveall also received the $30,000 donation from Jones-McCann, of Springfield, who is part of a family with a long history in the timber industry that owned Seneca Sawmill before selling it to Sierra Pacific Industries in 2021.

Separately from that donation, Jones-McCann also gave an in-kind contribution of $4,715 for advertising. 

Loveall has other donors with business before the county, though that’s common in campaign season. 

Those include King Estate Winery co-founder Ed King ($5,000), who wants to build a quarry near Oakridge; Richardson Sports ($4,000), a Springfield-area business suing Lane County and Springfield over its siting of a proposed stabilization center for people suffering mental health crises; and Waste Connections ($2,500), a Texas-based company whose subsidiary Sanipac faces pressure from the county to take its waste to the county landfill. 

Running against Loveall is Sean VanGordon, Springfield’s mayor. He is trailing Loveall in fundraising. VanGordon has received $70,914 in contributions this year, and he started 2026 with $8,535. In all, he had nearly $80,000 for the campaign so far.

But Loveall’s campaign has burned through money at a quicker rate than VanGordon, who now has slightly more cash on hand for the final stretch of the race: $24,629. 

VanGordon’s top donors are: 

• $20,000 from the Papé Group Inc., a company headquartered in Eugene with equipment dealerships across the western United States. The company works with industries that include agriculture, construction, forestry and transportation.
• $10,000 from the political action committee for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 280.
• $5,000 from the McKenzie River PAC; the Lane County Employees Organization AFSCME Local 2831, a union for county employees; and Hayden Watson of Bend, a longtime homebuilding company leader.

Like Loveall, VanGordon also received a $2,500 donation from Waste Connections. 

VanGordon also has strong support from other labor organizations and groups including the Plumbers & Steamfitters PAC ($4,503); Western States Regional Council of Carpenters ($2,000); and Oregon AFL-CIO ($1,000). 

William Monsoor, who also is running in the election with Loveall and VanGordon, didn’t report any contributions. 

East Lane District

Buch, who is running for a second term in a three-way race with Jake Pelroy and Bob Zybach, reported $133,216 in contributions in 2026, and carried over a balance of $72,274 from 2025.

Buch’s campaign has access to $205,491 and has spent $164,613. With a few days left, Buch’s campaign has a bit more than $40,000 remaining. 

Buch’s top donors are:

• $10,000 from the Lane County Employees Organization AFSCME #2831 PAC, a committee for a union that represents county workers. 
• An in-kind donation of $9,308 worth of digital advertising from the Democratic Party of Lane County.
• $5,000 each from Tom Bowerman of Eugene, the McKenzie River PAC and Oregon AFSCME Council 75. 

Pelroy reported $257,463 in contributions for 2026, with a balance of $29,504 carried over from the prior year. That gave him $287,056, which includes minor receipts and accounting adjustments. Of that, he’s spent some $246,544 so far, and has more than $40,000 remaining. 

Pelroy’s top donors include:

• Two separate donations totaling $62,500 from Community Action Network
• Two separate donations totaling $50,000 from Jones-McCann
• And $10,000 donations from Swanson Group Inc., a lumber company; and the Oregon Realtors Political Action Committee

Like VanGordon and Loveall, he’s also received $2,500 from Waste Connections.

Bob Zybach reported contributions of about $3,000 in 2026, with a balance of nearly $1,000 that carried over from last year. 

His top donors include $1,000 each from Kyle Freres, an executive with Freres Engineered Wood; and Theodore Freres, vice president of Freres Engineered Wood.

West Lane District 

Ceniga reported nearly $110,000 in campaign contributions in 2026, with a balance of $7,826 from 2025. He had $117,517 available this year, and has spent $104,900 so far. 

Ceniga has just $12,617 left for the final stretch of the campaign, though his race is considered the least competitive of the three. 

His biggest campaign donors include: 

• Two cash donations totaling $30,000 from Jones-McCann, and a separate in-kind donation of $6,716 worth of advertising from Jones-McCann
• $20,000 from the Community Action Network
• $7,500 from Wildish Land Co.

Thoms Hiura, his opponent, reported $8,878 in contributions and $550 in loans, with a total balance of $9,428. Of that, he’s spent $4,839 and has $4,588 left. 

His biggest backer is Katherine Shamey of Florence, who gave two donations totaling $4,500 to his campaign. 

Despite having a limited campaign fund, Hiura still advertised in prominent media outlets, including a $1,250 ad buy in the Eugene Weekly.