Queens City Councilman John Liu continues to be one of the city's most aggressive fund-raisers, stuffing his campaign coffers with more than $760,000 during the past six months, records show.
Liu, rumored to be eying a bid for city controller, raked in more than $3 million as of Tuesday's filing deadline with the city Campaign Finance Board.
But the term-limited Liu, who has yet to formally declare his candidacy in the 2009 race, downplayed his fund-raising prowess, insisting he is focusing more on the city's mounting transportation and utility woes.
"There is way too much going on right now to become obsessed with next year's elections," said Liu (D-Flushing), who has already spent $556,000 on his campaign.
Tuesday's fund-raising tallies showed other Queens City Council members also are packing their war chests for next year's elections. Thirteen of the 14 members of the Queens delegation are term-limited.
Council members Melinda Katz and David Weprin, who have announced runs for controller, raised $192,000 and $316,000 respectively since the last filing period in January.
Katz has raised $2.1 million in total, spending $775,000, compared to Weprin's $1.8 million, with $338,000 spent.
Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), eying a run for public advocate, raised $309,750 in the most recent six-month cycle. He said most of the more than $2 million he has raised has come in $10 donations.
"At all my events, I am telling people to give what they want," Gioia said. "A lot of people don't participate in politics because they feel they can't afford to."
In a possible three-way battle for Queens borough president, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. leads the way, with $799,758 raised, followed by Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, with $338,167 and Councilman Leroy Comrie with $100,515. Pheffer is the only declared candidate so far.
As candidates jockeyed for position in the race for the 13 open Council seats, this week's filings revealed a packed and deep-pocketed field in the 19th District in northeastern Queens, where mayoral candidate Tony Avella is term-limited.
In that battle, Paul Vallone, Peter Vallone Jr.'s brother, filed $90,734 - among the top for 2009 Council hopefuls.
Paul Vallone, who already has doled out more than $25,000, is squaring off against Jerry Iannece, former chairman of Community Board 11, who raised $38,295, and Debra Markell-Kleinert, Community Board 2 district manager, who raised $25,571 and already has spent $16,647.
