By Carrie Crespo

Final pre-election financial reports show the incumbents led in financial contributions. But that doesn’t mean the challengers didn’t still try hard.

The seven candidates vying for four seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council took different tactics to raise their visibility with voters.
Receiving contributions from such a variety of people as retirees, professors, managers and homemakers, incumbent Bill Strom led the candidates with almost $9,000.

Incumbent Jim Ward took a different approach, vowing at the beginning of the election cycle to make elections less about finances and more about issues and candidates by neither raising nor spending money. Ward won his third term on the council.

Matt Czajkowski said in early October that he would never ask friends or family for money, but added that he would not decline the offers of people who wanted to support him. Czajkowski reported $475 of contributions in the last reporting cycle, spanning from Sept. 26 to Oct. 22.

Czajkowski was the second highest spender, after incumbent Sally Greene, using funds from a $6,000 loan he made to his own campaign. Money was spent on signs, photographs, a Web site and early advertisements in newspapers.

Greene, who led a grassroots campaign when she ran in 2005, received contributions from another 26 people in this last reporting cycle. She planned to spend around $4,200, the cost of her last campaign.

Challenger Will Raymond spent $14 despite taking out a loan for $1600 as of Oct. 22.  He relied on his blog and other available forums to speak on the issues.

Penny Rich, who originally received much of her contributions from family members, also held events such as meet and greets. In the last election cycle, Rich raised more than $2,000.

According to the Orange County Board of Elections Web site, final campaign finance reports will be submitted after all funds are disbursed, loans settled and bank accounts closed.