So there's an interesting feature of Pat Lykos' campaign finance report (PDF), which the HCDP has pointed out in a press release. She has just under $32,000 on hand, after raising $114,000, but a total of $50,000 of the cames from the Robet Eckels Committee - see page 25 of the report for that. And $40,000 of that was originally a loan, which was forgiven and thus converted into a donation on June 30 - see page 34. Without former County Judge Eckels, in other words, her campaign would be in the red.

You can make a big deal about that or not as you see fit. Lykos did raise over $60K from other sources - Eckels is obviously a big supporter of his former employee, but we're still a ways away from Macias/Leininger territory. But it's almost like Eckels never left his old job as County Judge, isn't it? He's certainly still a player in county affairs. Only now he gets paid a lot more, and he isn't accountable to the voters. Pretty sweet deal, actually.