Nutter way ahead when it comes to campaign funds

Mayor Nutter is carrying a big wallet into his reelection effort this fall - more than $900,000 left over from primary season, against a Republican opponent whose campaign is barely solvent.

The mayor listed a $936,000 balance in a campaign finance report filed Thursday, after spending nearly $1.4 million to win the Democratic primary against former State Sen. T. Milton Street Sr.

The GOP candidate, former teacher Karen Brown, spent $7,700 to finance her narrow win over real estate agent John Featherman and was left with a balance of $1,347.

It took a $1,500 loan from Brown herself, a week after the election, to pay off a few leftover bills and keep her campaign treasury in the black.

Street, brother of former Mayor John F. Street, raised and spent $18,500 on his primary campaign, getting 24 percent of the Democratic vote despite his 2008 conviction for failing to file income-tax returns.

Most of Milton Street's money came from other candidates, for City Council and judgeships. John Street and his wife, Naomi, donated $1,000 as the biggest individual donors.

With Democrats holding a 6-1 registration edge over Republicans citywide, campaign money is unlikely to figure in most of the general election races in November.

But there are several possible exceptions: the 10th Council District race in the Far Northeast, where incumbent Republican Brian J. O'Neill faces a challenge from a former city elections official, Bill Rubin, and the contests for at-large Council and city commissioner, where Republicans will be competing among themselves for seats.

O'Neill reported a $255,094 balance headed into the fall, while Rubin had $60,847 in his campaign account.

The two GOP candidates for city commissioner, incumbent Joseph Duda and Al Schmidt, each reported balances just over $10,000.

Among the five Republican candidates for two at-large Council seats, David Oh reported a $23,144 postelection balance, Al Taubenberger more than $8,000, and Denny O'Brien $932. Michael Untermeyer reported a $44,215 balance, aided by a $60,000 loan to his own campaign, and Joe McColgan's campaign reported that it was roughly $12,000 in debt.