Mark Burroughs and Perry McNeill together spent more than $120,000 in their bruising fight for Denton mayor, according to finance reports filed this week.

Mark Burroughs

Burroughs outspent McNeill nearly 2 to 1 on his way to unseating the first-term in­cumbent. The win capped an unusually costly race marked by lawsuits, conflict-of-interest allegations and flaps over questionable political ad­ver­tising.

By contrast, three candidates combined to spend less than $15,000 in the 2006 mayor’s race, with McNeill accounting for most of the total, records show.

“I think it’s unprecedented for any volunteer public service position to have spent that kind of money,” McNeill said of this year’s totals. “That’s just unheard of in local politics.”

Observers disagree over whether the spending level is an anomaly or a new reality for Denton politics. Some worry the price tag could discourage people with limited means from entering future races.

“I think the spending situation is a deterrent,” said John Paul Eddy, a retired professor who ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat in 2006. “In our case there’s no remuneration as a council member … and that encourages only people who have, you might say, more wealthy or affluent means to finance and carry on their campaigns.

“That is a very discouraging thing to happen in American democracy.”

Burroughs, a lawyer and former council member, beat McNeill in a June 14 runoff election with 62 percent of the vote. Burroughs earned the most votes in a four-man race May 10 but failed to secure a majority.

Burroughs said his spending was necessary to compete with three other candidates, including an incumbent, and res­pond to mailers from Bob Clifton’s Watchdog Society of Denton, a committee opposing his candidacy. Also, the runoff added five weeks to the race and required considerably more spending, he said.

“I hope it is an anomaly, frankly,” Burroughs said.

Chuck Norton, who ran for mayor in 1998 and 2004, attributed the cost of this year’s race mostly to the runoff and the presence of two “establishment candidates” on the ballot.

“That situation usually doesn’t occur in our local politics that often, where two well-established figures in the community were facing each other for the mayorship,” he said.

Still, the spending totals highlight how outsiders with little money face an uphill battle, Norton said. Spending limits are impractical, so it’s up to the city and media to better publicize local elections and educate voters on the candidates, he said.

Perry McNeill

McNeill, a retired professor and engineer, called this year’s contest a turning point. From now on, candidates with limited resources will have to start raising funds much earlier to be competitive, he said.

“I think this race did change the character of politics in Denton in that you can no longer be just an ordinary citizen without extra funds, be­cause it’s going to take a pretty large campaign chest to run a race in Denton now,” McNeill said. “It does change who can run and the way you run.”

Justin Bell, who ran for mayor in 2006 and 2008 on shoestring budgets, said would-be candidates shouldn’t let the spending totals deter them, however. Bell finished third this year and second in a three-man race two years ago.

“If people want to do something, if they have a burning desire to do something, then they’re going to find a way to do it,” he said.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com .

DENTON CAMPAIGN finances

Candidates in the recent Denton City Council races filed their latest round of campaign finance reports this week. The election was May 10, but it took a June 14 runoff to decide the hotly contested mayor’s race between Perry McNeill and Mark Burroughs.

• Mayor

Justin Bell

Did not file report*

Mark Burroughs (winner)

Spending this period: $29,067.09

Total spending: $81,571.53

Donations this period: $5,984

Total donations: $43,755.71

Outstanding loans: $37,700

Bob Clifton/Watchdog Society of Denton (specific-purpose committee opposing Mark Burroughs)

Spending this period: $1,545.50

Total spending: $6,061.52

Donations this period: $0

Total donations: $0

Outstanding loans: $0

Darac Favre

Did not file report*

Perry McNeill (I)

Spending this period: $10,825.95

Total spending: $42,204.30

Donations this period: $3,675

Total donations: $28,066

Outstanding loans: $15,000

• District 2

Rudy Moreno (winner)

Spending this period: $1,336.44

Total spending: $4,208.33

Donations this period: $470

Total donations: $3,585

Outstanding loans: $0

John Ryan

Information unavailable. Ryan missed the latest filing deadline but said he still planned to submit a report.

• At-large Place 5

Pete Kamp (winner)

Spending this period: $138.90

Total spending: $12,080.80

Donations this period: $1,603

Total donations: $12,814

Outstanding loans: $0

Mike Sutton

Spending this period: $0

Total spending: $1,506.70

Donations this period: $0

Total donations: $1,319.95

Outstanding loans: $0

• At-large Place 6

Jerry Mohelnitzky

Spending this period: $841.08

Total spending: $17,516

Donations this period: $1,250

Total donations: $15,910

Outstanding loans: $0

Joe Mulroy (I) (winner)

Spending this period: $7,846.87

Total spending: $23,772.07

Donations this period: $10,792.82

Total donations: $21,407.82

Outstanding loans: $0

(I) = incumbent

*Candidates who receive or spend $500 or less aren’t required to file campaign finance reports.

SOURCE: Campaign finance reports filed at City Hall