Even though the county's budget crisis raises the importance of a strong fiscal watchdog in the Comptroller's Office, getting enough people to care about this race is still a problem heading into Election Day.

It doesn't help that the leading Democratic and Republican candidates - Mark Poloncarz and John Canavan - have never run for or held elected office before. Meanwhile, the Conservative candidate, Robert Whelan, a Democrat, is relatively well known but not viewed as a strong candidate.

Democrat Poloncarz appears to be in a good position as campaigning winds down. He has an edge in fund raising and endorsements, and is expected to easily outspend Canavan.

Campaign finance reports show he was expected to pass $200,000 this week. Much of his money was raised and spent during his fierce primary campaign.

He also enjoys a healthy stable of volunteers making calls and door-to-door visits on his behalf. They reach about 3,000 voters a week by phone, he said.

"We've got a great grass-roots campaign," he said.

He also expects to have TV commercials as well as a couple of mailings. Poloncarz, 37, is a business attorney with Kavinoky Cook. Last year, he was Western New York coordinator for Sen. John F. Kerry's presidential campaign.

He has stressed the need to promote the Comptroller's Office as a vocal and aggressive watchdog that defends the public interests. He also wants to see frequent auditing of the county departments to stem financial mismanagement.

He is endorsed by the Democratic, Independence, Working Families and Save Jobs parties, as well as Citizen Action of New York, Stonewall Democrats, the Solidarity Task Force and five unions.

Republican challenger Canavan does not have the same campaign chest or volunteer base as Poloncarz, and he struggles with name recognition more than the other candidates, having settled in this area only six years ago.

"The challenge for me is, not only do I come as a complete unknown, but not being a native, I don't have a tremendous network," he said.

Even so, he's regarded as a serious challenger for the seat, given his strong resume of financial experience in the corporate world. Canavan's finance reports show he expects to top $100,000 soon.

He has put much of that money into television spots and expects to have some radio ads as well.

Canavan, 52, works in commercial real estate consulting.

He stresses the need to develop foolproof financial accounting and reporting that gives county leaders bulletproof budget numbers. He also stresses the need to set performance standards for every department to improve efficiency and cut costs.

Canavan is endorsed by the Republican and Reform parties, Republican Congressman Thomas M. Reynolds, The Buffalo News Editorial Board and the Good Government Club.

Canavan and Poloncarz have a few things in common. Neither has ties to County Executive Joel A. Giambra. Neither believes in deficit financing. And both stress independence and better financial reporting to the community.

Whelan, 62, the Democrat running on the Conservative line, has retreated from active campaigning since he lost the Democratic primary to Poloncarz. But he's still in the race.

"I don't have any delusions about the odds in this contest," Whelan said. "I'd be, by far, the longest shot of the three, in spite of the fact that I believe I have the best credentials."

A former Buffalo comptroller and retired State Supreme Court judge, Whelan has the highest name recognition of any candidate. However, he has raised no money since the primary.

Some speculate that as a well-known Democrat, Whelan could pull votes from Poloncarz, though all three candidates dismiss that.