Metro East Sun

Alton appears to be creeping up the list of top campaign coffers.

According to the Chicago-based Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, Alton mayoral campaign funds totaled $23,094.78 as of Feb. 20 -- and that's just for Mayor Brant Walker.

While that statistic represents only Walker — specifically, his fundraising committee, Citizens for Brant Walker — and excludes anything collected by his three opponents, the figure nevertheless moves the Alton mayoral race up to sixth from seventh place on the group's list.

Walker told the Alton Telegraph that he was not surprised that his campaign had spent more than $20,000, or that it might spend more. He said since mailing campaigns average $3,000 to $5,000 apiece — not including extra material such as doorknob hangers, signs and billboard ads — he hasn't decided how many more he and the committee would undertake.

“It depends on how things are shaping up,” he said.

Walker has a fundraising event planned for Thursday.

The Telegraph questioned the accuracy of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform — which promotes participation, accountability and transparency in state government — since it omitted the full slate of candidates in Alton and what could add up to significantly more money.

For example, the paper said Citizens for Scott Dixon had raised more than $8,000, and argued that the figure was readily available, since campaigns are required to file paperwork with the state once they spend or accumulate more than $5,000 in a certain period. Adding $8,000 to Walker's amount would have pushed Alton to fifth place on the list.

Aurora’s mayoral race is named the state’s highest-funded campaign. It has eight candidates with contributions totaling $391,086, according to the Telegraph.

The paper reported that only Walker and Dixon had raised enough to be required to file with the state, and that “write-ins Dan Rauschkolb and Joshua Young have not filed reports.”

Rauschkolb, who has been in an ongoing battle to get his name on the ballot, refused to say how much he had raised, saying only that he would file paperwork when required.

Young conceded that his donations are pocket change in comparison with Walker and Dixon's amounts, estimating that he has raised far less than $1,000 thus far and is working on a per-project basis.

“What is important to me is the people’s endorsement, which is my resource,” Young said. “It is definitely a grassroots campaign. I hope to spend close to $2,000 if I’m lucky. It’s been by the goodness of the people that I’ve gotten this far.”

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform runs a website called illinoissunshine.org, which keeps track of specific amounts for donations to various candidates statewide. The organization summarizes individual political contributions, top figures and highest-earning political committees on a weekly basis.