HOBOKEN – If you think people overspend on seats at Yankee Stadium, wait until you see how much people spend for a chance to sit on the Hoboken City Council.
As campaign finance forms begin to flow into the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), the results show that some candidates spent more than a councilperson’s annual salary ($24,130) on their campaigns this past May.
Candidates are required to disclose how much money they spent, what it was spent on, and how much they received during campaigns. The last filing was due on May 30, or 20 days after the May 10 election, when all six Hoboken council ward seats were up for grabs.
Here’s who spent what for the chance to represent you:
1st Ward
Incumbent Councilwoman Theresa Castellano defeated challenger Eric Kurta by a 664-502 margin in the downtown 1st Ward.
Castellano spent $22,414 on her campaign. Despite the loss, Kurta outspent Castellano by a more than 2:1 margin, spending $48,977.
2nd Ward
Council President Beth Mason defeated challengers Tom Greaney, Franz Paetzold, and Patricia Waiters in the uptown 2nd Ward race.
Mason received 671 votes, Greaney received 542, Paetzold had 81 votes, and Waiters received 26.
Mason spent $138,185 on her campaign, significantly higher than the other candidates.
Greaney, who finished in second, was outspent by just under $100,000, as he spent $38,733 on his campaign.
Paetzold said on Tuesday that he spent only approximately $270 on his campaign and did not have to file a final report. Waiters did not file a final report.
3rd Ward
Councilman Michael Russo defeated challenger Greg Lincoln by a 947-459 margin.
Lincoln spent $10,935 on his campaign, while Russo spent $26,620. (See our cover story from two weeks ago about that race.)
4th Ward
In the city’s southwestern 4th Ward, Council Vice President Timothy Occhipinti defeated Rami Pinchevsky, receiving 1,023 votes, compared to 679 votes for Pinchevsky.
Occhipinti spent $58,051, while Pinchevsky spent $34,029.
5th Ward
The northwestern 5th Ward saw Councilman Peter Cunningham defeat challengers Perry Belfiore, Scott Delea, and Leonard Luizzi.
Cunningham received 680 votes, Delea received 319, Belfiore had 227, and Luizzi received 70.
Belfiore, Delea, and Luizzi have yet to file a 20-day post Election Day ELEC forms as of June 28, but Cunningham’s forms indicate that he spent $22,833.
6th Ward
Councilwoman-elect Jennifer Giattino defeated Councilman Nino Giacchi by a 579-488 margin.
Giattino spent only $13,629 on her campaign, while Giacchi spent $23,518. — Ray Smith