If money equates to votes, there are six clear front-runners to move past Tuesday’s primary election for the Lawrence City Commission, according to recent campaign finance reports.

Of the nine candidates vying for three at-large seats on the commission, six have each raised more than $4,300 since the beginning of this year, according to reports filed with the Douglas County Clerk’s office. The remaining three candidates each have raised less than $500.

Voters will narrow the field to six candidates during Tuesday’s primary. Voters will determine the three winners during the April 5 general election.

Lawrence electrician George Grieb enters the primary with the largest campaign chest. The owner of Lynn Electric collected $19,747 from Jan. 1 through Feb. 17, though $10,000 was a loan from himself.

After Grieb, there is:

Sue Hack: $10,487

Mike Amyx: $9,640

Tom Bracciano: $9,113

David Schauner: $7,905

Jim Carpenter: $4,889

Doug Holiday: $160

David Holroyd and Greg Robinson both signed affidavits pledging neither to spend nor receive more than $500 in the campaign, which exempts them from filing campaign finance reports.

Opinions differ on how much money will matter in the election. Grieb said money is an important part of getting a message out to voters.

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“I got in the race late, and I know you have to get your name out there, so that is why I lent my campaign some money,” he said. “But I think the donations say people like what I have to say. I think it shows people are looking for some balance on the City Commission.”

Holiday said he chose not to jump aggressively into the fund-raising arena.

“I went low key,” he said. “I think that is the way it should be. Campaigns are something that should be done one-on-one instead of with advertising campaigns.”

Bracciano had spent the most — $6,803 from Jan. 1 to Feb. 17. After him:

Grieb: $6,673

Hack: $4,304

Amyx: $4,044

Schauner: $3,489

Carpenter: $2,295.

The other three candidates reported no spending as of Feb. 17.

As for major contributors, Grieb had three contributions of $500 each from Lawrence’s Highland Construction, Amber Inc., a Lawrence investment firm, and GCB Holding, a Lawrence investment firm.

Hack’s top contribution was $500 from the political action committee of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 763. Amyx’s top contributors were the plumbers and pipefitters PAC for $500 and GCB Holdings for $500. Bracciano received $500 donations from the plumbers and pipefitters PAC, GCB Holdings, Joseph Dineen, and Leo and Nancy Bracciano. Schauner received $500 donations from Bernice Schauner and Mick Ranney, a Lawrence shoe merchant. Carpenter’s top contributor was his wife, Jane Gibson, who contributed $500.