Schwantz tops in campaign money

Friends, family and supporters have been good to Jim Schwantz.

The Palatine mayoral candidate far surpassed his three opponents in fundraising, bringing in more than $35,000 in contributions since July 2008.

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Schwantz' political action committee, The Friends of Jim Schwantz, paid FortisStrategies $2,000 in polling data services and had a $373 tab at Lamplighter's Inn for a fundraiser. No other expenditures have been reported through March 8. One of the former Chicago Bear's biggest donors is his employer, Von Sydow's Moving and Storage.

Incumbent Rita Mullins, seeking her sixth term, didn't raise anything in the second half of 2008 but quickly racked up nearly $16,000 through early March.

Her contributions included $500 apiece from Arlington Park and Palatine Inn. PACs for Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens and Democratic state Sen. James DeLeo also transferred a total of $750 to Mullins' camp.

Vito Manola received the bulk of his contributions this year. He raised $3,445 in cash and another $6,574 in printing, advertising and public relations services. Among his donors was the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union, which gave the small business owner $500.

Meanwhile, Warren Kostka's campaign is almost exclusively self-funded. Since July of last year, the former Palatine councilman spent about $9,000 of his own money producing his political newsletter, "Kostka Means Business."