The city of Springfield is looking to recoup $50,000 in expenses from the Obama campaign stemming from his August 23 rally to announce Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. City spokesman Ernie Slottag said, "The mayor (Timothy Davlin) is looking at all our finances and would like to recover whatever costs we can." The Obama campaign offered no comment. Obama's campaign was not billed for his February 2007 rally that announced his candidacy, but, according to Slottag, Springfield didn't "keep track of separate expenses for that event." Aaron Schock, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (18th district), held a rally in Springfield earlier this year that included an appearance by President Bush. Schock told a radio station the party plans to pay Springfield $38,000 for expenses related to that event.
