Public Release: Guttenberg La Plata Town Council Campaign Expenditures (As of 4-25-25)

By: Paul Guttenberg, Candidate for Town Council Ward I

Recently the 4th and 5th Democratic Club asked all nine candidates in La Plata’s 2025 general election the following:

Will you share with the public all donations including any in-kind contributions and expenditures from your campaign?

Yes,

I initially set myself a personal budget of $2,000. I sought out any records of past campaigns and that is when I discovered that in La Plata’s local elections we don’t impose the full set of Maryland campaign finance reporting laws that apply to county state and federal campaigns. Because of that i was not able to find any records of how much past council members paid or collected to seek a council seat.

I like this question because i think its important for two reasons.

1. The public should know how candidates are funded when running for public office, no matter the size of the election.

2. Public records help other interested residents see what it may take for them to seek an elected office in the future, and this is something we need to encourage more of.

For these reasons I am happy to share my answer to the question posed by the 4th and 5th Democratic Club

Contributions

None. My campaign has been fully self funded. I have not asked for nor received any donated funds or in-kind contributions.

Expenditures

As you can see from my expenditures table, I have spent my budget on just 3 categories of items: Web Hosting, Printed Materials, and Election Data offered to registered candidates by the Charles County Board of Elections.

I am also very pleased that with less than 2 weeks to go before election day I have yet to expend even half of my planned budget. The only additional cost I may need is another ~$100 of additional printed materials, we shall see.

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For Better Town Government We Must Increase La Plata’s Voter Turn-out For Our Local Elections

Please Vote on May 6^th. You can find contact and candidate information for all the general election candidates on the town website. Please also share this information with your friends and family, and encourage them to vote.

Many candidates are also active on Facebook especially within the La Plata Community Group.

A “Vote Local” Plan For Town Council & Mayor

1. Plan To Vote:

• Please Plan A Time on Tuesday May 6th You Will Vote at Town Hall.

  • (Between 7am and 8pm)

2. Share Election Information:

• Please Share Election Information with Your Family, Friends & Neighbors Who Live in the Town of La Plata. www.voteguttenberg.org/vote-local/

3. Cast Your Ballot On Tuesday, May 6th 2025.

• Voting occurs in person at the La Plata Town Hall, located at 305 Queen Anne Street, between 7am and 8pm.

I ask that you consider voting for me as your Town Council representative from Ward I.

More than anything I hope you take the time to vote, and that you encourage others to do the same. When residents vote in larger numbers, it increases the emphasis for elected town leaders to engage and respond to concerns expressed by the public.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

Paul Guttenberg, Candidate for La Plata Town Council Ward I