Democrat Russo Shows Fundraising Strength as Bartolotta Fades in Race for Middletown Mayor.

Democrat William Russo stunned the field of Democrats seeking to succeed incumbent Middletown Mayor Dan Drew by raising $48,000 in the second quarter of the year. That’s a big haul in Middletown, and it left one-time frontrunner Mary Bartolotta far behind. The struggling Bartolotta managed to collect a puny $11,000 for a September 10th primary brawl with the popular Russo.

A third Democrat, Ben Florscheim, an aide to U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy, raised $18,000, mostly from contributions outside Middletown.