Two Lawrence City Commission candidates have emerged as the front-runners in the race to gather cash for the April 7 election.

Businessmen Aron Cromwell and Lance Johnson have a clear-cut lead in campaign cash, according to reports filed with the Douglas County Clerk’s office.

Cromwell — owner of an environmental consulting business — collected $12,870 from the Jan. 1 through Feb. 19 reporting period, according to the new reports. But $8,000 of that amount is a personal loan that Cromwell made to his campaign fund.

“I really wanted to focus more on my message and outreach efforts instead of getting too tied up in fundraising,” Cromwell said of the loan, which is nearly as much as a city commissioner gets paid in a year. “Hopefully, I’ll get enough donations later in the campaign to recoup it.”

Johnson, who owns a civil engineering firm, raised $12,435 during the period. Johnson, who was the first candidate to file for the race, said he believed the fundraising success shows voters agree with his message that the city needs to get more aggressive in attracting jobs.

“I think we have a lot of concerned voters out there,” Johnson said.

Here’s a look at key information from each candidate’s report:

• Mike Amyx: Raised $1,860 from 18 contributors, including a $45 donation from himself.

• Price Banks: Raised $3,195 from 23 contributors, including a $500 donation from himself.

• James Bush: Raised $5,171 from 30 contributors.

• Dennis Constance: Raised $546 from 14 contributors.

• Cromwell: Raised $12,870 from 106 contributors, including the $8,000 loan from himself.

• Lance Johnson: Raised $12,435 from 93 contributors, including a $500 donation from his business.

• Tom Johnson: Pledged not to raise or spend more than $500 during the campaign, and thus is not required to file a report.

• Gwen Klingenberg: Raised $2,650, including $1,135 from 10 contributors who donated more than $50, and $1,515 from an unknown number of contributors who donated less than $50. The amounts included an $85 donation Klingenberg made to herself.

Visit city reporter Chad Lawhorn’s Town Talk blog