A peek at campaign war chests

Some Queens politicians have more in their war chests for the upcoming citywide elections in 2013 – and many of them haven’t thrown their hats into a specific race.
Topping the undeclared list is Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. who has close to $865,000 in campaign contributions. But his colleague Leroy Comrie only has an estimated $381, according to filing disclosures from the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB).
The list also includes Councilmembers Elizabeth Crowley who has about $68,000, Jimmy Van Bramer with around $21,000 and Daniel Dromm has a little over $5,500.
The only current councilmembers that have filed with the CFB for district races are Flushing representative Peter Koo, Mark Weprin and Karen Koslowitz.
Koo has about $65,000, Weprin has around $18,000 and Koslowitz rounds up the list with close to $10,000.
Candidates for the 2013 citywide elections had to file campaign funding disclosure statements by July 15. All figures are estimated campaign fund balances, according to the CFB.
Any candidate that files to run for elected office with the New York State Board of Elections must open a committee with the board and file disclosure statements during the four year election cycle, according to Ilona Kramer, a CFB spokesperson.
Candidates file their statements in January and July during the first three years of the cycle, but those filings become more frequent during the election year, she said.
Disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner filed disclosure statements with the CFB for a potential run for mayor and has about $4.5 million.
The former ninth district congressman did not file any paperwork with the CFB indicating that he no longer had a committee with the board, Kramer said.
Other Queens politicians that made the list are City Comptroller John Liu and Audrey Pheffer.
Liu, a Flushing native, raised about $1.5 million in campaign funds as of the filing deadline, but is also undeclared, according to his filings with the CFB.
Pheffer filed with the board to run for Queens borough president, but withdrew her bid. The former assemblymember just began her job as Queens County Clerk in May.
The Campaign Finance Board created by the Campaign Finance Act in 1988 mandates that all candidates comply with contribution limits and disclosure requirements whether or not they choose to participate in the board’s voluntary Campaign Finance Program.
The program institutes strict spending limits for private funds raised by candidates for citywide elected office such as mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president and the City Council. Under the act, the program matches public funds raised from NYC residents.