Mayoral spenders at a loss
Study: Cash can't always buy victory
Several mayoral candidates statewide learned last year the true meaning of "money can't buy happiness," when they lost their election bids despite wildly outspending their opponents.
A third of all candidates who outspent their opponents in the state's 28 contested elections last year lost their races, up from about 20 percent in 2001, according to a study by the state.
"It's a twist on conventional political wisdom," said Jason Tait , spokesman for the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, which published the study.
Gloucester hopeful James Destino raised and spent $54,000, but was handily defeated by Carolyn A. Kirk, who spent just $26,000 to win the open seat in the mayor's office by a vote of 5,486-3,629.
John Bell, on the other hand, the former three-term mayor of Gloucester, outspent his challengers in 2003 and 2005. His 2005 challenger put up the bigger fight. Jeff Worthley spent $21,021, gained about 3,300 votes, and lost to Bell's $42,900 and 4,800 votes. In 2003, Daniel Ruberti didn't put up a fight, spending just $70 to lose to Bell. Bell decided not to seek a fourth term last year.
In Quincy, incumbent William Phelan spent $442,000, but fell to Thomas Koch, who spent $282,000 in the upset.
The same scenario played out in Fitchburg, Gloucester, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and West Springfield. The big spender in mayoral races statewide last year won in 18 contested elections and lost in 10.
Turnout has been key. Voter participation has dropped by almost half over the past decade. That, in turn, means that politicians end up spending more for every vote.
In 1997, candidates spent $3,835,055 on mayoral elections. In 2007, the figure was $3,914,462, a modest gain over 10 years. But over the same number of years, the number of votes cast slid from 578,000 to 320,000. That meant that while spending didn't change much, average spending per vote nearly doubled, from $6.63 to $12.23 last year.
Mayoral elections have been a departure from other recent statewide elections. In the 2004 and 2006 state Legislature elections, 90 and 89 percent of top spenders won.
Last year, 38 of the state's 46 cities held mayoral elections, with 28 having more than one candidate. Sixty-nine candidates in all appeared on the ballots. There were 19 incumbents running, and four were upset.
The Office of Campaign and Political Finance study also looked at lopsided spending in elections. Of note: Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone spent $271,000 to make sure he defeated Suzanne Bremer, who spent just $2,500. Curtatone won, 8,012 to 1,832.
"The numbers show that outspending an opponent certainly helps, but as several mayoral candidates found out, money does not guarantee victory," Tait said.
The average candidate raised $29,000 and spent $25,300. Fourteen candidates spent more than $100,000. Almost $4 million was raised and spent in mayoral elections last year.
The Office of Campaign and Political Finance is an independent state agency that administers Chapter 55 of the Massachusetts General Laws, which provides for disclosure and regulation of campaign finance activity at the state and local levels.
The record for spending in a mayoral election in Massachusetts was set in 2005 when Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and challenger Maura Hennigan spent $2.36 million in the race for the top seat in the city.
John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com.
