Where are Framingham MA mayoral candidates getting their campaign donations?

With a week to go before Framingham’s biennial city election, there’s a significant difference in the amount of money that each of the city’s two mayoral candidates have available for their final push.

Incumbent Charlie Sisitsky, 80, has $51,745 on hand for his campaign, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance’s (OCPF) website. His challenger, former School Committee member Geoffrey Epstein, 78, has $2,248.

When it comes to raising funds, the two candidates have used different approaches. Sisitsky told the Daily News that he has held a single campaign fundraiser — in June at La Cantina Italiana on Waverly Street — but has not otherwise solicited campaign money.

“It’s just been voluntarily coming in, either through sending checks to the campaign account or through ActBlue,” Sisitsky said (ActBlue is a Democratic Party political action committee and fundraising platform). “I haven’t been soliciting money at all. The only time I solicited money was at the initial fundraising event in June.”

Epstein, on the other hand, said he did ask for money at recent meet-and-greets. He said he needs $30,000 in order to effectively challenge Sisitsky, and that his donors want change in the city.

“We did ask for donations at the meet-and-greets at the end, so I have made no calls actually to ask people for money,” Epstein said. “A lot of it seems to be a response to the campaign message, because most of these people I don’t know. So it’s a grassroots feeling.”

Where is the money coming from in Framingham’s mayoral race?

Both candidates have received thousands of dollars from both inside and outside Framingham. Notably, nearly two-thirds of Sisistky’s contributions have come from organizations and people outside the city.

Sisitsky raised $36,954 between Jan. 1 and Oct. 24; about $24,000 of it is from outside the city. The money includes contributions from unions and political action committees (PACs) based outside the city, such as Canton-based Massachusetts Nurses PAC, which donated $500.

Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky in his City Hall office, Aug. 20, 2025.

The PAC is political action committee for the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). Its president, Katie Murphy, is a former Framingham selectman and has endorsed Sisitsky.

Within Framingham, District 3 residents have contributed the most amount of money to Sisitsky, at $6,401, according to contribution listings on the OCPF website.

Epstein has criticized Sisitsky for taking donations from developers, including J&Co., the Waltham-based development firm behind the poorly received Nobscot redevelopment proposal. In total, J&Co. employees donated $3,500, although that was in March 2022.

But Sisitsky said those donations occurred back in 2022. He said he doesn’t solicit money from anybody; instead, he said people are investing in the city and like the direction in which the city is going.

Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, left, and his challenger, Geoffrey Epstein, participated in a candidates forum at the Framingham Public Library, Sept. 28, 2025.

“They really like what they see, they’re happy with the way I’ve been running the city, getting along with the council and getting things done, and they’re interested in investing in the city, and they see that as a plus,” Sisitsky said.

As for campaign spending, Sisitsky has spent more than $50,000 on his campaign this year, including thousands of dollars for campaign mailings, sponsorships and campaign consultations.

Candidates are also regularly audited by the OCPF. Sisitsky has been asked to clarify expenditure information three times this year and was asked to add address information to filers, all of which were resolved.

Geoff Epstein, who is running for mayor, at his home in Framingham, Aug. 5, 2025.

Meanwhile, most of Epstein’s $28,109 raised comes from District 6 — his home district (Sisitsky lives in District 1). That figure includes $11,000 that Epstein has invested into his own campaign and another $1,000 from his wife, Kathryn Weldon.

Outside his district, the second-highest source of money comes from outside the city, to the order of $4,876. That number includes $2,000 from his two sons, Elliot and Nicholas Epstein, and $1,000 from his ex-wife.

District 3 has been active in donating to candidates

Within Framingham, District 3 residents have donated a significant amount of contributions to both candidates, raising more than $6,000 for Sisitsky and more than $4,800 for Esptein. In general, Framingham’s northern neighborhoods donate mostly to Epstein, while Sisitsky’s Framingham donations have been more spread out.

Epstein’s contributors tend to be seniors and people who have lived in Framingham for a long time.

In terms of expenditures, Esptein has spent more than $25,000 in campaign money this year, mostly on campaign mailers and advertising.

Epstein has been audited twice. He was told by the OCPF that expenditures of more than $100 must be drawn from the campaign account, and was told that anonymous donations are prohibited after he recieved an anonymous donation of $100 in August.