Campaign fundraising in the Springfield mayoral race picked up last month.
Incumbent Domenic Sarno still has a large advantage over his four rivals with more than $219,000 in the bank. The mayor had his best month of the year in May taking in more than $19,000 in donations according to state campaign finance data.
City councilors Justin Hurst and Jesse Lederman each had their best months fundraising as well-at more than $12,000 and $14,000 respectively.
State Rep. Orlando Ramos, D-Springfield, wasn't as active in May, having raised about $4,600, but is still second overall behind Sarno with $47,635. Hurst reported having $40,022 on hand and Lederman stood at $19,249.
Psychotherapist David Ciampi is far behind the rest of the field. He raised $3,249 in May, but reported only having $87.12 at the end of the month.
In terms of how candidates used their money, Sarno continued to unleash his bankroll in May, spending a campaign-high $42,972. Lederman had $10,847 in reported expenditures, followed by Hurst with $9,303, Ramos at $8,115 and Ciampi spent $3,382.
Sarno made several expenditures which appear to be for the production of possible campaign commercials and buying airtime for them. Among many of the candidates, there was a common theme of purchases for printed materials, consulting services and digital marketing.
Sarno seems to be taking this challenge seriously, spending more than $121,000 since the start of 2023. He is the city’s longest-serving chief executive having been first elected to the job in 2007.
The top-two vote getters in the Sept. 12 primary will move on to the general election Nov. 7.
Nomination papers for all city offices on this year’s ballot were due in by Tuesday.