After losing his re-election bid last November, former San Marcos Mayor John Thomaides attempted to not pay previously negotiated campaign advertising costs owed to The University Star.
Originally due on Dec. 6, 2018, the former mayor waited until Jan. 25, 2019, to make the final payment, citing exhausted campaign funds for the inability to pay $1,084.50 in advertising costs. When prompted for the outstanding payment by University Star director and faculty adviser Laura Krantz throughout December and January, Thomaides was not willing to pay incurred obligations to The Star.
In a phone call between Krantz and Thomaides, Thomaides attempted to renegotiate the terms of the advertising invoice The Star provided him. The invoice, signed by Thomaides’ campaign manager Katie Orr, included two campaign advertisements in The Star‘s print editions for Oct. 23 and 30, 2018.
According to Thomaides’ January 2019 filing of political expenditures and contributions through the Texas Ethics Commission, other expenditures were made, like advertising, but The Star‘s invoice was the only unpaid incurred obligation from the 2018 campaign. The invoice is also the only advertising invoice that has either been defaulted on or attempted to be defaulted on with The Star.
The January 2019 filing details two separate political expenditures made from political contributions paid from the campaign to Thomaides as partial reimbursements of expenses totaling $9,147.56. The January filing also shows political contributions from various sources paid to the campaign after the election as late as Dec. 28, continuing past the Dec. 6 advertising due date with The Star.
Shortly after being contacted about this story, the advertising costs were paid-in-full to The Star by the Thomaides campaign. Orr was contacted for a comment about the situation Jan. 25 and declined to comment. Shortly thereafter, the payment came through to The Star.
Thomaides was contacted afterward, declined to accept an interview and said, “you do your story and I’ll be communicating directly with Dr. Trauth.”
The University Star will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.