Candidates are many, campaigns are few in City Council districts 4 & 7

District 4 City Council candidate Andrea Campbell chats with volunteer Nigel Simon outside her Fields Corner campaign office.

With the date of the city’s preliminary election moved to Tuesday, Sept. 8 — the day after the Labor Day weekend — turnout is expected to be light in Roxbury’s District 7 and Dorchester’s District 4 races.

And while both races feature a range of candidates — four in District 4 and six in District 7 — the bounty of candidates will not necessarily translate into an electrified electorate.

In District 7, incumbent Tito Jackson faces off against five challengers: underground radio station operator Charles Clemons, community activist Haywood Fennell, state worker Althea Garrison, minister Roy Owens and Kevin Dwyer.

A look at candidate filings with the state’s Office of Campaign and Public Finance provides a window into the District 7 race. Jackson has raised more than $67,000 so far this year, and in the last two weeks of July raised more money — $9,910 — than all five of his opponents have raised this year.

As MassVOTE Executive Director Cheryl Crawford explains, fundraising is key to running a successful campaign.

“You have to print flyers and cover Election Day costs — renting space, transportation,” she said. “And you need a campaign manager and field director.”

While Clemons has a campaign manager — perennial candidate Douglas Bennett, whose ubiquitous hand-painted signs announced his failed bid for sheriff two years ago — his campaign has just $1,002 in the bank.

Clemons insists he’s running to win, and notes that in his unsuccessful 2013 campaign for mayor, he secured more votes in District 7 than any of the 11 other candidates in the race.

“I’ve been door-knocking since April,” he said. “I’ve been taking note of all the issues and concerns of the residents.”

Fennell, who has $605 in the bank, says he and campaign manager Tyree Brown are aiming to get the 2,500 votes he thinks he’ll need to win.

“We’re going to the places that are key to getting the vote out,” he said. “Mission Hill, the South End. We’re doing high-profile show-ups.”

After Fennell, the campaign finance reports for District 7 candidates falls sharply to zero, for Garrison, Owens and Dwyer.

Ward 12 Democratic Committee co-Chairwoman Victoria Williams, who plans to interview candidates next Monday for possible endorsement, says the abundance of candidates will not necessarily translate into an energized electorate if the candidates cannot run viable campaigns.

“At some point, you have to see if you can collect what’s needed to win,” she said. “You have to raise money. You have to be able to sway the voters. I’m not sure there’s sufficient momentum to sway the voters.”

Preliminary balloting in Boston elections are normally held on the third Tuesday in September, which this year would be Sept. 22. But this year that date marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.

In a normal election year, campaigns kick into high gear in the week after Labor Day in a push to turn out the electoral base. This year, candidates will have to start their push early. The rushed schedule and anticipated lower turnout may likely favor incumbents and well-financed campaigns that are able to make voter contacts early.

Jackson says his campaign manager Ron Bell will be opening their Grove Hall office this week.

“It’s wonderful to continue to connect with the community and talk about my record of accomplishments over the last four years,” he said.

District 4

With two well-financed campaigns, the race for Dorchester’s District 4 seat may have a higher potential for a decent turnout. Challenger Andrea Campbell says she has already knocked on more than 5,000 doors and made contact with 2,500 voters.

“I prefer to be on doors,” she said. “You have to balance that with community meetings and running a campaign.”

Working out of a Field’s Corner storefront with campaign manager Katie Prisco-Buxbaum, Campbell says her campaign aims to reach all of the more than 30,000 registered voters in District 4. The campaign relies on between 30 and 40 volunteers a week to door-knock and drop campaign literature.

Literature and three paid staffers cost money. Campbell, a former Patrick administration staffer, has raised more than $92,000 since she opened a campaign account last November. Not bad for a first-time candidate.

Attorney Jovan Lacet, another first-time candidate, has raised $3,441, far below Campbell’s total and incumbent Charles Yancey’s total for the year of $25,712.

Lacet, who is working full time as an attorney, acknowledged that he is struggling to get his message out.

“It’s a slow election,” he said. “A lot of folks don’t really know about it.”

Former Boston Water and Sewer Commission employee Terrance Williams shows a balance of zero in reports filed with the state’s Office of Campaign and Public Finance.

Yancey, who was elected in 1983, says he had not yet begun campaigning in earnest.

“I’m focused on my job as a city councilor more than anything else right now,” he said. “I’m sure my opponents are focused on getting their names out there.”

Yancey’s campaign manager, Dan Janey, is managing a group of volunteers Yancey estimates to be at about 100.

“We’re still gearing up,” he said. “We still have a lot of work to do to connect and re-connect with folks.”