The Cost of Running for Office in Medford

Ever wonder what running for office costs? Running for office, even local office, can be expensive, with money spent on things such as buttons, stickers, mailings, and fundraiser events. With just a week until Election Day, here’s a look at how much Medford’s candidates for local office have raised and spent in the past few months:

Mark Arena, City Council candidate
Arena has raised nearly $10,000 since May in contributions, including $1,000 he contributed to his own campaign. Arena has spent nearly all of it, including $1,406 for a fundraiser at Bocelli’s restaurant, and about $3,000 for a mailing, and has a little over $500 left in his campaign account.

Stephanie Muccini Burke, City Council candidate
Muccini Burke has raised $5,270 since early September, mostly in personal contributions. She has spent $2,537.50, including $937.50 for a fundraiser at Bistro 5 and $1,600 for a mailing. She has $3,195.50 left in her campaign account.

Paul Camuso, City Council candidate
Camuso started out in early September with nearly $5,000. Since then he has raised $9,810 and has spent $12,271, leaving him with $2,306. Camuso’s cash came from mostly individual contributions, as well as some union contributions. His biggest expense was nearly $8,000 to print and send a mailing.

Brian Chamberlain, City Council candidate
The only money Chamberlain has raised is $10,300 he loaned to his own campaign. He has spent $2,164, mostly on printing costs.

Frederick Dello Russo, Jr., City Council candidate
Dello Russo started off with $1,350 in his campaign coffers and raised another $7,680 in individual contributions. He has spent $6,754, including $2,350 for a fundraiser at the Montvale Plaza and $1,600 for a mailing. Dello Russo has $2,276 left in his campaign account.

Breanna Lungo, City Council candidate
Lungo started out with $1,467 she had previously raised in personal contributions, and she has not spent any of that money so far.

Robert Maiocco, City Council candidate
In the past six weeks, Maiocco has raised $9,409 in contributions. He has spent $5,159, most of it on a fundraiser at Bocelli’s restaurant and a mailing. He has $4,254.28 left in his campaign coffers.

Michael McGlynn, Mayoral candidate
Mayor Michael McGlynn, mayor since 1987, by far had the most money of any of the candidates. McGlynn started off the fall with $95,311.62 on hand and took in another $49,0738.70 in personal and union contributions. He spent $42,977.81 and has $102,072.51 remaining in his campaign account. So what does a candidate facing no opposition spend more than $42,000 on? McGlynn made many donations, some to other candidates, such as State Representative Paul Donato and several School Committee members, some to the city, such as for the new veterans’ memorials, and some to local organizations, such as the Mustang Club and M-BELT. McGlynn also spent money on hotels and airfare for conferences, as well as $3,937.50 for an April fundraiser at the Montvale Plaza.

Lisa Attenazio, School Committee candidate
Attenazio raised $2,775 in personal contributions over the last six weeks. She has spent most of that money on signs, brochures, supplies, and a couple of fundraisers. She has $467.50 left in her campaign account.

William Brady, School Committee candidate
Brady raised $2,675 and spent $2,212, including $900 for a fundraiser and $866 for a mailing. He has a little more than $500 left in his campaign account.

Ann Marie Cugno, School Committee candidate
Cugno raised $3,320 and spent just over $2,200 of it on signs and fundraisers.

Christopher D’aveta, School Committee candidate
D’aveta raised $600 and contributed $1,000 of his own money to his campaign. He has not spent any money.

Lena DiGiantommaso, School Committee candidate
As in years past, DiGiantommaso does not raise or spend any money.

Bruce Kulik, School Committee candidate
Kulik raised $2,034 and spent $1,304 of it, mostly on printing costs for signs and cards. He has $730.37 left in his campaign account.

Bill O’Keefe, School Committee candidate
O’Keefe raised $11,025, far more than any other School Committee candidate, which includes $1,000 he loaned to himself. He has spent $10,119, including $1,100 for T-shirts and $1,044.75 for food for a fundraiser. O’Keefe also made several donations, including to the veterans’ memorials and several scholarship funds.

Fred Pompeo, School Committee candidate
Like his colleague, Lena DiGiantommaso, Pompeo has not raised or spent any money.

Robert Emmett Skerry, Jr., School Committee candidate
Skerry started out with $1,103 and raised another $5,231, for a total of $6,333. He spent $5,894 of that, with his two biggest expenses $2,497 in postage for a mailing and $1,033 for a campaign kickoff event at the Montvale Plaza in late September.

Paulette Van der Kloot, School Committee candidate
Van der Kloot only took in a $539 contribution from her husband, which she has spent on ads and campaign literature.

Three City Council candidates- Fred Dello Russo, Jr., Michael Marks, and Robert Penta- and two School Committee candidates- Bill Brady and Chris D’aveta- have not yet submitted their campaign finance reports as of Monday’s deadline. Their reports will be included in the above story as soon as the information becomes available.