And down the stretch they come

There's been no lead changes in the race for campaign funds for the city's top elected spots, but one candidate is reaching deep into her own pockets to subsidize her race.

City Councilwoman Julia Emmons has loaned about $55,000 to her own campaign for City Council president, according to Sept. 30 campaign disclosures.

Emmons says the money came out of her retirement account, and she hopes to break even when all the fundraising is said and done.

The problem, she says, was the timing of the fundraising — it coincided with the Sept. 11 attacks.

"All the campaigns came screeching to a halt," says Emmons, who has raised $207,666. So she was faced with a decision: "I'm committed to doing my best, and the best takes money."

Cathy Woolard, the only other front-running candidate in the race for city council president to turn in her disclosure by Friday's deadline, still leads in fundraising with $284,416. Michael Bond and "Able" Mable Thomas both neglected to submit disclosures, and they could be fined up to $50 per day if they don't turn in their forms.

In the mayor's race, Shirley Franklin has outdistanced her closest competitor, Robb Pitts, by about $900,000, having raised more than $2.6 million. Her television buys, though, have taken a million- dollar chunk out of her budget, so as of Sept. 30, she was down to about $300,000 in the bank.

Gloria Bromell-Tinubu's campaign continues to chug along and pay the bills with more than $130,000 donated to her coffers, but the campaign has just $3,006 in the bank.??