Fending off competition

E.W. Cromartie — the District 2 representative in his 25th year on Columbia City Council — has no opposition. But he and his supporters are eating well.

Cromartie has raised $36,000 — and $13,358 of it has been spent on food — the most of any candidate, including a $7,520.28 meal at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse on Nov. 13.

“I have a large campaign committee of 125 people,” he said. “Everytime we meet, I feed them.”

Cromartie said he is running a full campaign because of rumors of a write-in candidate. The rumors, he says, were started with an editorial that ran in The State newspaper in February.

To help counteract a write-in attack, Cromartie says he also plans to run radio ads over the weekend, mostly to remind people to vote for him Tuesday.