BY DAN CAMPANA
At least Alderman Stephanie Kifowit laughed a little about it.
"It" was an e-mail supposedly sent out by her mayoral campaign asking supporters if they "can spare a Nickle" this weekend because "we are out of money" and "our heat has been turned off" at the campaign office.
Crazy kids and their computer programs.
"It's not true at all. Our heat is on. We have money in the bank," Kifowit said Thursday. "And, I certainly know how to spell 'nickel.'"
It's no secret Kifowit's running on a shoe-string budget. Her campaign manager recently pointed that out when describing the ground game to boost support ahead of the April 7 election.
The finance reports bear it out as well. She was sitting with about $7,200 in cash on hand at the end of 2008, far behind Mayor Tom Weisner (lots of donations) and Alderman Richard Irvin (lots of his own money).
Kifowit hasn't ever let cash flow be an obstacle in this race. She didn't expect, at least that I've seen, to pull in big dollars. She's even proclaimed herself free of contributions tied to city contractors.
Apparently all that is intimidating enough to someone who doesn't support her to prompt a fake e-mail.
Its comforting to know that big business hasn't completely taking over our local politics as well. Stephanie's campaign gives the common man Hope that political office is not out of reach for any of us. It certainly is going to be challenging competing against those budgets. But at the end of the day, the people's vote is what counts. I hope the voters take the time to get to know her instead of waiting to see who has the coolest commercials or biggest advertisements.