A rare fight for a seat on the City Council held by an embattled but long-serving incumbent has attracted several challengers and heaps of money, in what may shape up to be the hardest-fought battle of the election.

In the 10th District, Councilman Edward Reisinger has long been seen as one of the city’s most vulnerable elected officials, having retained his seat in the previous election by just 124 votes. That weakness has attracted three anti-establishment challengers with harsh words and upstart campaigns.

“Reisinger hasn’t done a very good job, and there are not many people who argue with that,” said opponent Donnie Fair, a community activist. “I’m tired of hearing people say, ‘someone’s got to do something.’ Well, I’m doing something.”

One of Fair’s fellow challengers, community lawyer Terry Hickey, wasn’t as restrained.

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“I think this is a true picture of business as usual and a new way through,” he said, contrasting himself with Reisinger. “I think the years of incumbency in my district have deadened people to what can actually be done.”

Hickey and Fair are just two of a staggeringly crowded field — 60 is the official count — of candidates running for City Council this year, many of whom are upstart community activists or fedup residents, railing against incumbents and hoping to spark change.

“The incumbency factor around here leaves them all feeling untouchable,” Hickey said. “Somewhere along the way we started electing politicians and stopped electing leaders.”

“A lot of people have become used to the status quo,” said trial attorney Hunter Pruette, a Reisinger opponent who moved to Baltimore two years ago. “There’s a need for new leadership and new ideas.”

Reisinger, who attributes his slim margin of victory in 2003 to redistricting, said his opponents were simply political opportunists who have become vocal only in the past few months during the campaign season.

“It kind of rubs me the wrong way,” he said, referring to Hickey’s and Fair’s suggestions that he is out of touch with constituents. “I’ve been in the trenches. None of these guys have been in the foxhole with me.”

In his office at City Hall, Reisinger boasts a wall lined with plaques given to him by community associations — evidence, he says, of his well-cultivated connections in the district and ability to serve constituent needs.

Reisinger also boasts a decisive monetary advantage. Candidates have not had to disclose their finances since early January, but in the course of the campaign, Reisinger estimates that he has raised about $60,000 to $70,000, with only five weeks left until the Sept. 11 primary.

“The rumor’s out on the street that [Reisinger] is going to spend a lot of money,” Fair said, referring to his own campaign as “tremendously underfunded.”

Hickey said his campaign was doing well considering his caveat of only accepting “good faith” money, from people who expect no favors in return. He estimated that he had raised about $30,000 so far.

sgentile@baltimoreexaminer.com