Left to right, top to bottom: Bob Schumm, Kristine Polian, Bart Littlejohn, Michael Courtney

Tuesday is when we will really find out if anything has changed since the Lawrence City Commission primary election held in August. But, it is fair to say there has been a change in the category of who is leading in the area of campaign contributions.

First-time candidate Kristine Polian is now the leader in campaign donations received in this City Commission election. Polian, the former chief financial officer for the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, has the lead for both the most recent reporting period and the overall lead when her most recent figures are combined with what she raised during the primary election season.

Of course, no one is vying to be the winner of campaign finance tallies. Instead, the number that matters is the final vote count, which will be determined on Tuesday. Advance voting has been underway for a couple of weeks, but Tuesday is your last day to vote in the election. Voters will pick from four candidates to fill two at-large seats on the Lawrence City Commission. In-person voting at your designated precinct is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

However, in an election that doesn’t include any polling of note, campaign finance totals can be one interesting sign to gauge momentum and support levels of the candidates.

In that regard, Polian has a case to make for being the momentum leader. She raised $15,045 in the most recent reporting period, which ran from July 25 through Oct. 23. That was more than $4,000 greater than the next closet candidate, Mike Courtney.

Courtney — a computer engineer who also is a first-time candidate — can claim some momentum as well. His $10,966 raised in the most recent reporting period is a big jump up from the approximately $2,900 he raised prior to the primary election.

Next is former city commissioner and retired downtown restaurant owner Bob Schumm. He raised $7,730 in the most recent period. But, reading campaign finance results can be a bit like reading tea leaves, at times. During the primary election fundraising season, Schumm was the clear-cut top fundraiser. He raised more than twice the amount of any other candidate, and he finished first in the primary election voting.

Schumm entered the general election with a strong balance of campaign finance funds, and it is not clear that he sought to raise funds at the same intensity during the general election. When you combine his fundraising totals from the primary with his totals from the general election, he is very nearly tied with Polian. More on those totals in a moment.

But first, a check on the lone incumbent in the race. During the primary season, Bart Littlejohn finished third among the candidates in terms of fundraising. That’s also where he finished in the primary vote count. To keep his seat on the City Commission, he needs to move up at least one more spot.

His campaign fundraising totals in this most recent period were a mixed bag. He raised $4,800, which was better than the approximately $3,500 raised in the primary period. However, his total is now fourth out of the four candidates in the field.

Again, all of this is imperfect, but another way to look at the fundraising totals is to add the primary fundraising and the general election fundraising together. Here’s how those totals come out:

• Polian: $19,320

• Schumm: $18,380

• Courtney: $13,886

• Littlejohn: $8,350

Of course, a big reason for campaign finance reports is to see who has given money to the candidates. One thing I normally check for is how much money candidates have received from political action committees, labor unions or advocacy organizations. None of the candidates reported contributions from any of those sources during the primary election season. Instead, contributions simply came from a mix of individuals, and a few business entities. You can see the list of contributors for each candidate at the Douglas County Clerk’s election hub website at dgcoks.gov/county-clerk/voting-and-elections/current-candidates.

Lastly, Tuesday’s election also includes races for the USD 497 school board. I’m not looking to ignore those candidates, however, campaign finance requirements are quite a bit different for school board races. Most candidates for those board positions spend and receive less than $1,000 in contributions, and thus aren’t required to file campaign finance reports. Additionally, if reports are required, they aren’t due until 30 days after the election. Thus, there are no reports to report on, currently.