Oregon Public Broadcasting

The close mayor's race in Eugene this year cost over $900,000, according to campaign and expenditure reports out this week.

Portland is far larger, but has had only three more expensive mayor’s races.

Eugene incumbent Kitty Piercy spent just over $400,000, and her opponent, former mayor, Jim Torrey, spent more than half a million dollars in the primary and general elections.

The $900,000 total pencils out to more than ten dollars for each ballot cast for mayor in November.

Mayor Piercy says the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Kitty Piercy: “I would like to see that much money be able to be utilized on behalf of meeting the needs of our community. I certainly believe in supporting democratic elections, but this is an inordinate amount of money and it could go to better purposes.”

Piercy says she’s had informal conversations about Portland’s system of publicly financed elections. But she’s not convinced that system -- or any public system -- would adequately control outside spending on campaigns.