CARY -- Incumbent Jennifer Robinson outraised and outspent rival Lori Bush by roughly a 2-to-1 margin in the final months of their hotly contested Town Council battle last fall, according to campaign finance reports.
Robinson, who triumphed in a Nov. 3 runoff election to retain her District A seat, received $8,890 in contributions from individuals and political committees between Oct. 20 and Dec. 31. She spent $12,948 during the period.
During the entire election season, Robinson raised $30,688 above what she had going in. She had $1,203 on hand at the end of the year.
The biggest contribution during the final leg of the race came from the N.C. Home Builders Association, which gave $4,000 to Robinson.
During the campaign, Bush painted Robinson as too friendly with developers, and Bush supporters asked elections officials to investigate contributions from previous campaigns.
The investigation was quickly thrown out. Robinson denied the allegation.
"She's received money from realty-friendly, developer-friendly contributors for the last 10 years, so I'm not surprised," Bush said when asked about the builders' contribution to Robinson's campaign. Robinson said her focus is on governing, not the campaign.
"I think it's time for everyone to start focusing on service to our town and stop hashing out the politics," she said.
Bush received $22,303 in contributions and spent $21,325. Bush ended the year with $979 in cash. She raised $3,281 and spent $5,324 between Oct. 20 and Dec. 31.
Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht contributed $500 to Bush's campaign. Bush also was backed by the spouses of council members Gale Adcock and Erv Portman. They gave a combined $700.
