CARY - Councilwoman Jennifer Robinson outraised and outspent rival Lori Bush by roughly a 2-to-1 margin in the final months of 2009, according to campaign finance reports filed late last month.

Robinson, who triumphed in a Nov. 3 runoff election to retain her District A seat, received $8,890 in contributions from individuals and other political committees between Oct. 20 and Dec. 31. She spent $12,948 during the period.

During the entire election season, Robinson raised $30,688 above what she had going in. She had $1,203 on hand at the end of the year.

The biggest contribution during the final leg of the race came from the N.C. Home Builders Association, which gave $4,000 to Robinson.

During the campaign, Bush painted Robinson as too friendly with developers, and Bush supporters asked elections officials to investigate contributions from previous campaigns.

The investigation was quickly thrown out. And Robinson, who did not immediately return calls seeking comment Friday, has denied the allegation and chalked up the complaint to dirty tricks.

"She's received money from realty-friendly, developer-friendly contributors for the last 10 years, so I'm not surprised," Bush said Friday, when asked about the builders' contribution.

Bush received a total of $22,303 in contributions and spent $21,325. Bush ended the year with a cash balance of $979. She raised $3,281 and spent $5,324 between Oct. 20 and Dec. 31.

Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht contributed $500 to Bush's campaign. Bush also was backed by the spouses of council members Gale Adcock and Erv Portman. They gave a combined total of $700.