By TX3DNews Staff | April 25, 2025
You’ve seen the campaign signs sprouting like weeds across Plano, McKinney, and Allen. Smiling candidates, bold fonts, star-spangled color schemes. But behind every polished slogan is someone cutting a check—and that someone often tells you more about a candidate than their website ever will.
In local elections, where margins are razor-thin and most voters can’t name more than two candidates, money plays an outsized role. So we pulled the campaign finance reports and started asking: Who’s funding who—and why?
Why This Actually Matters
Sure, presidential politics get the headlines. But city councils and school boards decide what gets built down the street, how your kids’ schools are funded, and where your property taxes go.
So when a candidate gets $1,000 from a developer—or $5,000 from a political ally based three counties away—it’s fair to ask: Who are they really working for?
Where We Got the Receipts
We reviewed official campaign finance filings from:
These reports show who gave what, when, and how often. They’re public—just not always easy to parse. So we did the digging for you.
What We Found
Big Donors, Big Interests – Plano
In Plano, several city council candidates have reported contributions ranging from small-dollar donations from local residents to large sums from out-of-state donors—including from California, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania—as well as from developers and real estate political action committees. A 2023 report from KERA also highlighted the influence of real estate PACs in local campaigns. While these contributions don’t necessarily imply undue influence, they do suggest that development and outside interests may find a receptive audience at City Hall.
Out-of-District Money – McKinney
The latest campaign finance disclosures for McKinney’s mayoral race show stark contrasts in how candidates are funding their bids—and who’s behind the money. Scott Sanford leads with over $124,000 in contributions, including nearly $50,000 transferred from his former Texas House campaign account. The rest includes large donations from political allies and business figures such as State Senator Mayes Middleton of Galveston, the Matt Krause Campaign of Fort Worth, and contributors from Allen, Prosper, Frisco, and Princeton.
Bill Cox follows with $94,400, backed heavily by the development and construction sector—most notably $14,000 from RPM xConstruction executives and $10,000 from DRM Realty, owned by Daryl Motsenbocker.
In contrast, Taylor Willingham reported no contributions but spent over $10,000, suggesting a largely self-funded effort. Matt Rostami reported neither contributions nor expenses, remaining consistent with his pledge to run a no-spend grassroots campaign.
These filings raise a timely and important question for McKinney voters: What kind of influence—local or otherwise—should campaign money have in shaping the city’s leadership?
Self-Funders in Allen
In Allen, the City Council election originally scheduled for May 3, 2025, was canceled after all candidates ran unopposed. In accordance with Texas election law, the unopposed candidates were automatically declared elected, and no City Council races will appear on the ballot. Therefore, because no election is being held for Allen City Council in 2025, candidates were not required to file updated campaign finance disclosures for this cycle.
Should You Care?
Absolutely. Local elections are often decided by just a few hundred votes. A few thousand dollars in contributions can dramatically shift outreach, visibility, and messaging.
Campaign finance isn’t just about who’s giving—it’s about what the money might be buying. Influence? Access? Future favors? You don’t need a conspiracy theory to recognize that money shapes priorities.
What You Can Do
- Read the filings. We linked them above for a reason.
- Ask questions. If you see a candidate at a forum or coffee shop—bring it up.
- Share this article. Most voters never look at these reports—but they should.
Because when candidates say they’re “for the people,” it helps to know which people they’re talking about.
Want to help us keep following the money in TX-03? Have a tip or want us to dig into a specific candidate’s finances? Drop us a message—we’re watching.
Disclosure: This article is based on publicly available campaign finance records filed with local and state authorities as of April 2025. All figures and donor information were sourced from official city portals, and all interpretations reflect independent analysis by the TX3DNews editorial team.
TX3DNews does not endorse or oppose any candidate. Our mission is to inform TX-03 residents with fact-based, nonpartisan reporting that promotes transparency and accountability in local government.
We welcome responses or clarifications from any candidate mentioned. If you’d like to submit a comment or statement, please contact us directly—we believe public dialogue is essential to a healthy democracy.