The Humboldt County supervisor elections for the First, Second and Third districts may not be until June, but that does not mean some challengers weren’t using 2011 to build their war chests.

The undisputed king of fund-raising for last year was First District candidate Rex Bohn, which many expected, but the sheer size of his efforts was jaw-dropping — $78,689 in cash contributions raised, not including $2,300 he lent his campaign and in-kind contributions. He finished the year with $54,712 in the bank, and that does not include the reported $50,000 he raised at his January kickoff fund-raiser. Thus far, his totals dwarf that of his only declared opponent, Annette deModena, who raised only $1,400 in cash contributions — $1,100 from one supporter — plus a $2,100 loan. If the progressives are going to run a candidate — and the rumors still swirl that Patty Berg, Greg Conners or Mel Kreb may consider a run — then they better be prepared for a Bohn juggernaut.

Meanwhile, in the Third District, challenger Karen Brooks reported a hefty $19,827, with a bank balance of $19,448 unspent. Many of Brooks $1,000 supporters also gave generously to Bohn’s cause as well: Lee Ulansey, Mike Dominick, C&K Industries, Shaw & Peterson Insurance, S&W Properties, Kramer Investments, Glenn Goldan/Reprop Financial, George Schmidbauer, Barnum Timber, Dale and Leon Warmuth. Those names sound familiar? Most were major supporters of both Virginia Bass and Ryan Sundberg in their successful 2010 campaigns.

Brooks’ opponent, incumbent Mark Lovelace, raised a mere $625. of which he personally contributed $500.

As of 3:10 p.m., Estelle Fennell had not yet filed her Form 460 report. (The deadline was not until 5 p.m.) Her opponent, incumbent Clif Clendenen, reported a slightly better effort of $5,978, which was comprised of mostly $100 individual contributions. The largest was $500 from Donald Baird, MD. Expect Fennell to report a significantly higher number.

Other surprises: One incumbent did raise a significant sum, that being Paul Gallegos, who is still trying to retire his 2010 campaign debt. He received $1,000 from the Berkeley Patients Group and $2,500 from Trim Scene Solutions, among others. And incumbent Jimmy Smith, who is not standing for re-election, still holds $6,632 in cash, making him better funded than his two fellow supervisors who are running.

Stay tuned — the fun is just beginning.