Mayor Tom Menino is firing up his fundraising jets, accelerating into the holiday season with a near $113,000 haul for November, according to the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Following boldly in his wake, Flaherty took in a respectable $79,680. Councillor Sam Yoon, who some suspect of considering a run, collected a propeller-driven $35,000. All three figures might be added to when the final November numbers roll in later this month.

Flaherty's cash flow efforts are admirable given Menino's influence in the city. Multiple sources have informed the Reporter that someone from Menino's campaign has been "pulling shirts" on many in the city who donate to the councillor, a technique said to be particularly effective if the city signs one's paycheck.

Out of 397 donations Flaherty collected last month, only 16 donors reportedly admitted working for the city of Boston. Nine of those donors said they were police officers and none of them reported keeping an office in City Hall, where Flaherty works every day. Boston residents are also a small fraction of Flaherty's check-signers, far outnumbered by suburbanites.

By comparison, Menino's contributor lists this month - in between professionals, attorneys, contractors and others - reads like a who's who of city hall and a constellation of municipal agencies.

The new influx brings Flaherty's total to roughly $562,000, Menino's to somewhere in the area of $1.4 million. Yoon, still looking much like he intends to stay in his at-Large seat, has upwards of $59,000.