By Moses Leos III

Political spending is ramping up as candidates in the Buda City Council Place 1 and Place 3 races prepare for the final stretch before the Nov. 8 election. 

In the race for the Place 1 seat, candidate John Hatch spent more money on his campaign than candidate Lee Urbanovsky, according to campaign finance reports filed 30 days before election day. Candidate Theo Kosub, who is also running for Place 1, filed for modified reporting. 

Hatch, a political strategist with Texas Petition Strategies, spent roughly $1,500 from Aug. 22 to Sept. 29. Of that amount, roughly $1,000 went toward the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce for Fajita Fiesta sponsorship. 

He also gathered $1,875 in political contributions during that time frame. Of the contributions, $1,000 was given by Joe Willie McAllister, founder of McAllister & Associates Real Estate Services. Hatch has $341 left in his war chest. 

In a separate filing, more than $3,300 in political expenditures were made by the Friends of John Hatch political action committee (PAC) toward his campaign from Sept. 7 to Sept. 29. The majority of the amount went to printing expenses from A&E Signs and Graphics. 

Over $3,600 in total political contributions were taken in by the PAC during the same time frame. The PAC received $1,000 donations from Brint Ryan, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ryan, LLC, a tax consulting services company, and State Representative Richard Pena Raymond. The PAC has $677 in total political contributions remaining. 

Meanwhile, Urbanovsy received roughly $2,200 in political contributions from Aug. 22 to Oct. 11. Urbanovsky received two $500 donations from Buda resident Jenna Early and Kirby Baird, president of the Austin division at SpawGlass. 

Political expenditures for Urbanovsky during the same time frame was reported as $4,128.66. Roughly half of his expenditures went to printing, advertising and event expenses, which were charged to his wife’s credit card and later reimbursed. 

Urbanovsky showed he had $178 left in his war chest. 

In the race for the Place 3 city council seat, incumbent Wiley Hopkins leads the charge in political spending over challenger Jeff Morales, who filed for modified reporting. 

Hopkins gathered $535 in political contributions from July 21 to Oct. 7 and currently maintains the same amount in his war chest. JCI Residential, LLC., which developed the Carrington Oaks apartments on Cabela’s Drive, contributed $500 toward Hopkins’ campaign, according to the report. 

But during that time, Hopkins spent $1,267 on his campaign, with $1119 going to a printing expense from PrintSignCo. LLC in Austin.