Lance Denno expects $72 may be his only expense in the race for Syracuse Councilor At-Large.

 “Quite frankly, I don’t think that a lot of advertising is going to make a weak candidate strong, and I don’t think less advertising is going to make a good candidate weak,” Denno said.

 Denno, a Democrat, has been the District 5 Common Councilor since 2008. In the Nov. 3 general election, he is running for Councilor at-Large as Democrat and Working Families parties candidate. He is one of three candidates seeking two open spots. A Councilor At-Large represents the entire city, while a Common Councilor represents a specific district.

 Also running is Fanny Villarreal, the Conservative and Republican nominee, who was the director of P.E.A.C.E., Inc. until she resigned in the spring.  The third candidate is Jean Kessner, also a Democrat and Working Families parties candidate. Kessner is the community and government affairs director of AIDS Community Resources.

 As of Oct. 23, Denno had raised $825, according to financial disclosure reports on the Web site of the New York State Board of Elections. He had spent the $72 on postage fees mailing out campaign materials.  

 Kessner has significantly outraised Denno, posting $ 8,526. She has spent $4,197 so far on her campaign, according to the state elections board campaign finance Web site.

 The third candidate, Villarreal, outspent and outraised both of the Democrats, according to campaign finance reports on Oct. 30. Those reports show Villarreal raising $12,660 and spending $20,740. 

Of his fundraising, Denno downplayed plans to spend or raise any more money. His mother is ill, he said, and that has prevented him from doing a lot of campaigning and fundraising.

 In his campaign finance report to the state, Denno lists: 

• $250 from the Democratic party
• Two individual contributions of $200 from Robert Congel, developer of mega-mall DestinyUSA,  and $25 Nancy McCarty, an education commissioner and fellow Democrat.
• Two contributions from unions: $250 from International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 43 and $100 from Service Employees International Union Local 200.

Unions support Denno because of his work to create the living-wage law, said Jerry Dennis, president of Service Employees International Union Local 200.  The living-wage law requires all employers with city contracts to pay workers more than minimum wage. The extra money keeps working-class residents in Syracuse out of poverty and allows them to provide for their families, Dennis said.

 Instead of advertising, Denno said, he has been going to meetings of neighborhood watch groups and other neighborhood focus groups throughout Syracuse. “That’s where the community gets the chance to ask specific questions,” Denno said. “I think it’s more appropriate to speak with people in person and address concerns they want addressed.”

 Denno acknowledged that people outside of his Common Council District 5 might not be familiar with him or what he’s done.  But he said, “I’m doing what I can to let people know who I am. If the voters elect me to represent them citywide, then that’s where I will put my efforts.”

 (Abram Brown is a junior with dual majors in history and magazine journalism.)

(Democracywise reporter Lynette Chen, who is covering Fanny Villarreal's campaign for At-Large Councilor, provided updated information on Villarreal's campaign finances on Oct. 30. An earlier version of this story reported that as of Oct. 23, the deadline for a required report, Villarreal had not filed with the state.)

-30-