E-Mail This Article to a Friend CAMPAIGN FINANCE At-large races: More money, mixed results BY DAVID S. BERNSTEIN

Who said a seat on the Boston City Council isn’t worth anything?

The candidates for four at-large city-council seats spent a combined $1.6 million on the latest campaign trail, a 45 percent jump over the previous record set two years ago. The biggest difference, of course, was that Maura Hennigan was out of the race, while John Connolly and Sam Yoon were in. Not only did each of those two easily surpass the skimpy $105,583 Hennigan spent on her 2003 council re-election campaign, but together they nearly equaled the $623,000 Hennigan spent running for mayor this year.

Connolly (who lost) and Yoon (who won) also outspent three prominent candidates — Felix Arroyo, Steve Murphy, and Patricia White — who each spent less this year than in 2003, and, in fact, far less than they expected to. Interviewed by the Phoenix back in April, Arroyo said the "minimum" he needed was $200,000; Murphy planned to raise $250,000; and White called $200,000 a "baseline" for running citywide. Of the three, White spent the most at $168,546.

Council president Michael Flaherty, who was supposedly in danger of failing to top the ticket, upped his spending from a then-record $403,672 in ’03 to a hair under a half-million bucks this time around — and ended up expanding his margin of victory. In the end, he spent $10 for each vote he received. Second-ranked spender Connolly also shelled out $10 per vote, but his $331,202 amounted to nothing on election night. Felix Arroyo had the best bargain of the race, spending only $3 per vote and keeping his seat.

At-large city-council-race spending

Total Spent Votes $/Vote

Flaherty* $499,718 49,163 $10

Arroyo* $120,762 43,492 $3

Yoon* $212,617 41,839 $5

Murphy* $129,459 35,507 $4

Connolly $331,202 31,596 $10

O’Malley $78,477 28,292 $3

White $168,546 26,965 $6

Flynn $58,769 21,739 $3

Total $1,599,550

*indicates winners in the at-large race