When people vying for public office ask for money and, in turn, spend that money on their efforts to get elected, it becomes a matter of public record. That’s why, in today’s Suffolk News-Herald, we published a detailed report of financial contributions reported by the mayoral and Suffolk City Council candidates seeking your votes in November.

The report shows how much money was raised, identifies the major contributors and shows how much each candidate has spent on his or her campaign so far.

Only contributions of $200 or more were published, although anyone giving $100 or more had to be accounted for in the official reporting to the registrar’s office.

The decision to publish financial contributions invariably ruffles feathers. That isn’t the intent. The editorial staff didn’t choose to publish these numbers and contributor names for spite or embarrassment, but rather as a public service. All financial dealings relative to candidates seeking public office are a matter of public record.

Our role in this process is simply to make public information exactly that – public.

What you do with that information is up to you.