ANAHEIM : $190,000 Raised by Councilmen

The five city councilmen raised more than $190,000 last year in campaign contributions, with most of the money going to pay off debts accumulated in previous campaigns, statements filed recently with the city clerk show.

Mayor Tom Daly raised the most last year--$88,151, records show. But most of that went to pay off loans and bills he had left over from his 1992 campaigns for mayor and the council. His statement says he only has $7,865 left in the bank for his reelection bid for mayor this November. His largest contributor was the Apartment Assn. of Orange County, which gave $2,000.

“I do have a series of fund raisers scheduled for this spring,” Daly said, saying he hopes to have $100,000 in the bank by mid-summer.

Councilman Frank Feldhaus, who doesn’t face the voters until 1996, raised $44,580 last year, with Pick Your Part Auto Salvage giving $2,248, his largest contribution, statements show. But like Daly, most of Feldhaus’ contributions went to pay off debts he racked up during his successful 1992 campaign and his failed 1990 attempt. His statement shows his campaign committees have $19,000 in the bank but still have debts of $57,000.

About $52,000 of that money Feldhaus owes himself from personal loans he made to his own campaigns. The other $5,000 is what he still owes council member Irv Pickler’s campaign committee for a $20,000 loan given two weeks before the 1992 election.

He said his plan is to whittle down the debts over the next two years.

Pickler, who is contemplating running against Daly or Orange County Supervisor William G. Steiner in November, has a war chest of $49,335 after raising $39,750 last year. He is prohibited by term limits from running for another term as a council member. His largest contribution was $4,000 from Bryan Industrial Properties, a local landowner.

Councilman Bob D. Simpson, who is considering a run against Daly, raised $7,500 last year. He only has $2,370 in the bank. Simpson, whose council term expires in November, has said he will not run for reelection to that seat. His largest contributor was development attorney Carmen Morinello, who gave $2,250. Developer consultant Frank Elfend, Morinello’s frequent partner, gave $2,000.

“Obviously, I’m going to have to make a decision shortly,” Simpson said about the mayoral race and the need to start raising money soon. “But I’m still in the process of doing that.”

Councilman Fred Hunter’s statements show his various campaign committees owe him more than $81,000--money he loaned to the committees to finance his mayoral and council campaigns over the past 10 years. Hunter, who will leave office this year, said he has no plans to repay himself. He raised $14,750 last year, with Elfend and Morinello each giving him $2,000.

“I always put a lot of my own money in my campaigns,” said Hunter, who has a successful personal injury law firm. “That’s just the way it goes.”