Money in political campaigns is hard to come by, but candidates for the East Lansing City Council election seem to be doing well.
Local elections, like the one on Nov. 8, require fewer money than major statewide or national campaigns. However, the amount of money raised for local elections can make or break a candidate.
Challenger John Fournier, who raised $3,515, spent the most of any candidate at $2,593.55.
The other candidates spent much less.
Challenger Kevin Beard, who raised $2,365, spent the least with $747.56. Incumbent Vic Loomis, who raised $4,625.28, spent only $1,119.36. Incumbent Bill Sharp, who raised $3,825, spent $1,333.15.
Understandably, the incumbents don't have to spend as much money to get their name out into the community because they've campaigned before and won. Anyone interested in local politics knows who they are and their money can probably be saved.
The challengers, however, have a greater need to get their name out there. It's entirely possible Fournier's big spending shows how hard he is working to further his campaign.
Beard, however, shows either fiscal responsibility or that he hasn't campaigned aggressively.
If challenging candidates spend most of their time and resources knocking on doors and passing out literature, they're doing the best they can to reach voters. As long as the money is well spent, it doesn't really matter how much is gone.
With the City Council election campaigning entering into its last week, we want to know what's being done with the rest of the money.
It seems odd that three of the four candidates have such a large nest egg this far down the line, although it's beneficial for their campaigns in the long run.
Money left after campaigns end must be returned to donors, contributed to charity or given to another campaign. The candidates cannot's keep the money they are given after the election is over.
Voters should know how the candidates spend their money during the next few days.
It's important for people to know they can trust their future representatives to spend responsibly.
