Gilbert’s 2026 Town Council race is beginning to take financial shape, with six candidates posting markedly different fundraising totals, spending patterns and levels of personal investment in the first quarter.
Across the field, totals range from candidates who have built five-figure war chests to others relying heavily on self-funding or who are still ramping up donor networks. The reports also show a mix of strategies, from early spending to conserve-and-build approaches.
One notable absence is incumbent Jim Torgeson, who had not filed a quarterly report as of the reporting deadline.
Chuck Bongiovanni
Chuck Bongiovanni reported no new receipts during the period but showed substantial prior-cycle fundraising, with $40,000 raised to date and $16,146.46 cash on hand after $18,910.70 in expenditures.
His campaign enters the cycle with one of the largest reserves, despite not adding new contributions during the quarter, giving him a potentially strong financial position moving forward.
Bobbi Buchli
Incumbent Bobbi Buchli reported $6,655 in total receipts and $5,851.02 in spending, leaving just over $803 on hand.
Her report reflects fundraising and significant spending early in the cycle, suggesting an established campaign operation already investing in outreach or infrastructure.
Joel Coen
Joel Coen posted a competitive total with $6,759.20 raised, including a significant portion from personal contributions. He spent $5,344.60, leaving $1,414.60 on hand.
The report shows a campaign fueled in large part by self-funding, paired with moderate expenditures, indicating an active early campaign phase but with less remaining cash than some competitors.
Beth Goulden
Beth Goulden reported $4,984.56 raised and $3,174.86 spent, with $1,809.70 remaining.
Her filings show a balanced approach, with moderate fundraising and controlled spending, positioning her in the middle of the pack in cash flow and reserves.
Bus Obayomi
Busola “Bus” Obayomi reported $9,425 in receipts, with a large share coming from personal contributions, and spending of $7,900, leaving $1,510 on hand.
The reliance on candidate funding stands out, along with relatively high expenditures, indicating an aggressive early campaign push supported by personal investment.
Bill Spence
Bill Spence reported one of the strongest early fundraising totals, bringing in $10,000 during the reporting period and spending $1,755, leaving $8,245 cash on hand.
His relatively low spending compared to receipts suggests a strategy focused on building a reserve early in the cycle rather than immediate outreach or campaign activity.
Overall trends
The early reports highlight three distinct approaches emerging in the race:
Candidates building early reserves with limited spending;
Candidates spending aggressively out of the gate;
Candidates relying heavily on personal contributions to fund operations.
With more than two months remaining before the election, the financial landscape remains fluid, but the first-quarter filings provide an early indicator of which campaigns may have the resources to scale outreach and which may need to accelerate fundraising efforts.
Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him on X at @sp_blodgett.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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