As the November 3 municipal election approaches, campaign‑finance filings show that three Redding City Council hopefuls dominate the fundraising landscape. Civil engineer and Planning Commissioner Russ Wenham, incumbent council member Tenessa Audette and local business owner Christina Prosperi together have secured roughly $124,000, accounting for almost nine‑tenths of all money reported for the race.
Wenham’s fundraising and spending
Wenham has collected close to $57,000, with 109 donors contributing $100 or more. His largest contribution comes from J.F. Shea Construction, Inc., a Redding‑based contractor, which gave $4,000. Other top donors include Cynthia Stephens of SnL Group ($3,000) and Kenneth Wenham of Roebbelen Contracting ($2,604). Wenham also loaned his campaign $3,000. About 16% of his contributions originate outside Shasta County, including 2% from beyond California.
To date, Wenham has spent roughly $49,000. The bulk of those expenses—nearly $39,500—went to Ellislaine, a local marketing firm. Additional expenditures include $3,500 at Hertz Car Rental and $2,770 to Young Business Services, a campaign‑finance reporting company.
Audette’s campaign finances
Incumbent Tenessa Audette has raised nearly $36,500, with 36 donors giving at least $100. Her top donor is Burks Construction Management ($5,000), followed by Shasta Supervisor Kevin Crye’s re‑election campaign ($4,825) and Patrick McNally of Retirement Lifestyles Advisors ($3,329). Roughly 10% of Audette’s funds come from outside Shasta County.
Audette has spent just over half of her receipts—about $19,780. Marketing costs at Ellislaine total about $9,500, while $5,300 went to Commerce Printing for postage and delivery, and $1,500 was spent at the Red Lion Hotel for fundraising events.
Prosperi’s contributions and expenditures
Christina Prosperi, a local business owner, has gathered close to $30,500 from 57 donors contributing $100 or more. Her leading donor is Kenneth Elwood, owner of Lassen Canyon Nursery, who gave $5,000. Two additional donors—Northeastern California Building & Construction Trades Council and UA Local No. 228 (Marysville branch)—each contributed $3,000.
Prosperi also loaned $500 to her campaign. About 29% of her contributions are from outside Shasta County, with 1% from elsewhere in the state.
Her spending totals around $18,100, including $3,950 to Creative Shift Marketing, nearly $3,700 for USPS Redding services, and $3,400 to Brian Brown’s Printing and Design.
Other candidates
Several other candidates have reported modest fundraising. Ramirez Sloan received a single $5,799 donation and has no recorded expenses. Paul Saulsbury raised about $5,300, with 57% of his money coming from outside Shasta County, and has spent roughly $3,000. Other candidates—including Munns, Mezzano, and a handful of newcomers—have each raised between $2,800 and $3,800 and reported limited spending.
Overall, nine candidates are vying for three open council seats. The financial advantage held by Wenham, Audette and Prosperi underscores their strong community support as Redding heads toward the November election.
Original reporting: Shasta Scout (Redding) — read the source article.
