Candidates raise little money for campaign

Campaign finance reports for the candidates vying for four seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council reveal a large disparity in the candidates’ fundraising efforts.

Town Council and mayoral candidates had to file the reports on Oct.1.

Of the nine candidates running for council, Ed Harrison was the only candidate not to file a report. Candidates do not have to file if they don’t raise more than $1,000.

With 35 days until election day, the total raised by the town council candidates who filed reports was $23,735.73.

Years past

That amount is roughly the same as the last Town Council election in 2011 when the 12 candidates raised $23,000.

Incumbent Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said he stopped fundraising once he discovered he was running unoppo

sed this year after raising $975.

Total election fundraising is still nearly 36

The most prolific fundraiser among the council candidates this year is George Cianciolo.

At the 35-day mark Cianciolo’s campaign had raised $8,903

of the amount raised by all the candidates who filed reports.

Cianciolo didn’t think his campaign was aggressively fundraising — he said it’s his first time running for office and he wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of fundraising.

“This is not a terribly exciting campaign for a lot of people,” he said.

Cianciolo has spent about $3,300

A different style

Candidates Amy Ryan, Loren Hintz, Sally Greene and Maria Palmer have all raised between about $3,000 and $4,000.

Candidate Paul Neebe raised about $1,000.

The remaining candidates have raised markedly less.

“This year we have several candidates who are not running campaigns in the style we have seen in the past,” Kleinschmidt said.

Gary Kahn has not raised or spent any money so far in the election and said he does not intend to start fundraising.

He said he wanted to avoid asking people for money because some people cannot afford to give.

“If somebody offered me money I would probably take it,” he said.

D.C. Swinton has raised $20 for his campaign.

Palmer said the inexpensive campaigns this year are a good thing for the town, but she thinks political fundraising can be beneficial.

“I think it is very justified — a reasonable amount to make people know that this democratic process is taking place.”

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