Dec 8, 2015 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – The two candidates for Greene County Court judge together spent nearly $154,000 on their election campaigns during the past year, according to expense reports filed with the state Department of State.

Democrat Lou Dayich of Waynesburg defeated his opponent, Republican Jeff Grimes of Center Township, in a tight race during the Nov. 3 election. Dayich won the election by 92 votes despite being outspent by more than $30,000.

Financial reports filed with the state Department of State for the year through Nov. 24 indicate the Lou Dayich for Judge Committee raised $63,923 and spent $61,955 on his campaign.

The Grimes for Judge Committee reported raising $92,957 and spending $91,770.

Those might seem like hefty sums, but maybe not considering a county judge is paid $176,572 a year.

“It’s nice to have to spend on a winning effort,” Dayich said Tuesday. “Of course, there is no guarantee you’re going to win during that time,” before any votes have been cast, he said.

Dayich said his campaign was very careful with its expenses and spent much of its money locally for media advertising and for purchasing campaign materials. What he spent to get his name out, he said, was probably just what was needed.

“I don’t think if we spent any less that we would have been effective,” Dayich said.

About two-thirds of Dayich’s money, $43,670, came from loans he and his mother, Loretta Dayich of Waynesburg, provided to the campaign committee. Dayich loaned the committee $4,170 and his mother loaned it $39,500.

Some of Dayich’s larger contributors include James Jones of Carmichaels, $5,000, and Kent Marisa of Waynesburg, $1,749. Dayich also received contributions of $1,000 each from Robert Headlee of Waynesburg, Tony Lingis of Waynesburg, Paul Kubincanek of Eighty Four, Rudy Marisa of Waynesburg and Nancy Moore of Waynesburg.

Grimes also contributed about two-thirds of the money for his campaign. According to his reports, he contributed $26,000 to the campaign and loaned the committee another $35,000.

Grimes received $17,500 in contributions from his father, former Greene County Judge H. Terry Grimes; $7,500 in contributions from Mark Leidecker of Holbrook, and $3,000 in contributions each from Mary Pruss of Washington; John Hopkins of Nineveh and Greene County Republican Committee.

He also received a $2,000 contribution from John Brodak of Carmichaels and $1,000 from John McNay of Prosperity.

According to the reports, Grimes spent about $80,734 with West Media Group, an advertising and marketing firm from Latrobe.

Grimes could not be reached for comment Wednesday.