Funding Raised for Filner Recall Will Be Returned to Donors

About $40,000 raised in the effort to recall Bob Filner before he resigned will be refunded this week to donors who contributed more than $50, officials with the recall campaign committee said today.

More than $90,000 was raised during the Recall Bob Filner Campaign, and about $50,000 was spent, campaign officials said.

Donors who receive refunds will have until the end of the month to cash their checks, and sometime after that, the committee will officially close and a final accounting will be made public, officials said.

Volunteers with the campaign gathered 37,517 signatures between Aug. 18 and Aug. 23, when Filner agreed to step down after nearly 20 women brought forth accusations of various degrees of sexual harassment. He was also under investigation for allegedly misusing a city-issued credit card and shaking down developers.

Filner's resignation took effect Aug. 30.

The final tally was more than a third of the signatures needed to qualify the recall for the ballot.

"This high number of signatures, gathered in less than a week, illustrates the overwhelming public support for the recall and the high number of committed volunteers mobilized to lead the petition drive," campaign Chairman Mike Pallamary said.

Nearly three dozen potential candidates have declared their intent to run in the Nov. 19 special election to finish out the final three years of Filner's term, according to the City Clerk's office.

—City News Service