Ever wish you get do the same financial background checks on candidates for local office as you can for statewide candidates? To pick an example, wouldn’t it be cool to know how much money Gerald E. Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County board of supervisors, has raised in the current campaign cycle and where his money came from?

Well, now you can! (For nine localities, at least.) The Virginia Public Access Project has taken the first step, says Executive Director David Poole, towards “filling the black hole that is local campaign finance disclosure.”

So, go here to see that Connolly has raised almost as much money as all other candidates for the Fairfax BOS combined. He has out-raised his two competitors for the at-large seat by $853,000 to… $12,000. As for where the money comes from — no surprise, here — more than one-third comes from the real estate/construction industry.

Many thanks to VPAP, and the people who fund it, for making this information available.