Commissioner Jack Daly donates unused campaign dollars to Longboat Key charities

 Town Commissioner Jack Daly has donated a total of $5,000 of unused campaign contributions to Longboat Key charities.

In March, Daly was re-elected to his District 4 seat, defeating opponent Larry Grossman with 67% of the vote.

The commissioner said his campaign had received more financial support than he had expected, as he had asked for only “modest contributions.” In the end, he received about $9,600. 

“Quite frankly, I got a lot more than I had anticipated,” he said.

Daly used about $4,600 worth of these funds to run a visible campaign, placing newspaper advertisements as well as signs up and down the Key. He also spoke with voters outside of Town Hall during early voting, listening to resident concerns and discussing his ideas.

Daly noted that Grossman did not campaign similarly, so he did not deem it necessary to use the entirety of the contributions for his campaign. Instead, Daly opted to donate excess funds to hand-selected local causes.

To the Friends of Tennis, a private organization that supports the Longboat Key Tennis Center, Daly gave $1,250.

He contributed $1,000 to the Garden Club’s scholarship fund.

He donated $1,250 to the Longboat Key Foundation, the organization that has spearheaded efforts to make the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, Culture and Education a reality at the Town Center.

For the town’s library, a volunteer organization, he donated $1,000.

Daly contributed the last $500 to a picnic event, hosted by the Rotary Club, which is being held in May to recognize the town’s fire and emergency rescue personnel.