Mr. Thompson, in an interview, acknowledged that his campaign’s expenses were high and said he “has taken steps to bring the costs down.” He said the campaign was now focused on fund-raising at inexpensive locations in the city.  “It’s no longer in hotels and restaurants. We are doing a lot in people’s homes, offices, apartments,” he said, adding, “We have reduced that cost.”  Mr. Thompson, who as comptroller is the city’s financial watchdog, said he was not worried about running out of money. “We are all confident we will have a sufficient amount of money to get a vision out and get our story out to the public,” he said.  Dick Dadey, the executive director of Citizens Union, a government watchdog group, said that “for someone who already holds citywide office, spending 21 percent of what you have raised seems pretty high.”  Mayoral candidates typically rely on a handful of consultants, but Mr. Thompson has recruited seven of them. The campaign paid more than $170,000 to Suri Kasirer, a lobbyist and fund-raiser; more than $160,000 to Marla Klinger, another fund-raiser; some $140,000 to Monique Renaud, an expert in campaign finance regulations; and $40,000 to Andrew Grossman, a political strategist. (Andrea Cukier, who tutors Mr. Thompson in Spanish, was also listed as consultant, and she received at least $5,500.)  For about a year, Mr. Thompson employed both Ms. Kasirer and Ms. Klinger as fund-raisers, for a combined monthly fee of more than $14,000. Mr. Thompson conceded there was “perhaps a bit of redundancy,” but said he believed he had the appropriate number of consultants.  Asked about Mr. Thompson’s rate of spending, Ms. Kasirer said that the comptroller began raising — and spending — money earlier than his rivals. “Bill started earlier so he’s been at it longer,” she said, “and he’s already built his fund-raising infrastructure so future costs will be lower.”  She added: “At the end of the day all the competitive candidates will pretty much have similar expenditure rates.”  Ms. Kasirer said she stopped raising money for Mr. Thompson in late 2007, after working for him for six years, because her company, Kasirer Consulting, is focusing on its primary business, lobbying.  Several political strategists, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of offending a potential client, said that Mr. Thompson’s rate of spending might make sense if his fund-raising significantly outpaced that of his rivals. So far, it has not; as of July 11, the end of the most recent reporting period, Mr. Thompson had raised $4.8 million, compared with Mr. Weiner’s $5 million and Ms. Quinn’s $3.1 million.  During the last six months, Mr. Thompson raised less than Ms. Quinn or Mr. Weiner and spent a greater percentage of his contributions than either (40 percent, compared with 18 percent for Ms. Quinn and 15 percent for Mr. Weiner).  In addition to the consultants, some of Mr. Thompson’s spending can be traced to out-of-town fund-raising.  Since 2006, he has traveled to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale and Miami to raise money, records show.  In Miami, for example, the campaign spent $5,000 on a fund-raiser, held in January, at the Bath Club, a Mediterranean-style waterfront retreat. The campaign raised money in Los Angeles, but spent more than $9,000 — on hotels, car services and food — including $3,307 at the InterContinental Hotel in November and December.  Mr. Thompson has also spent heavily in New York, including $14,500 at the Waldorf-Astoria, for example. He has leaned more on donors who live outside New York City than his competitors. According to the city’s Campaign Finance Board, 66.5 percent of his contributions are from such donors, compared with 41.3 percent for Mr. Weiner and 34.9 percent for Ms. Quinn.  “It indicates that there is support around the country as well as around New York City,” Mr. Thompson said.  Like most candidates for mayor, Mr. Thompson, a Democrat from Brooklyn, is expected to participate in the city’s campaign finance program, which provides one of the nation’s most generous formulas for matching contributions with public funds.  But that program frowns upon contributions from nonresidents. Under the program, the city will match most individual contributions up to $175 by a ratio of six to one — but the donor must be a city resident.  That means many of Mr. Thompson’s contributions will not be eligible for matching public funds.  Mr. Thompson said that “while you raise money from around the country and it is not rewarded with a match, it is still substantial dollars.”  He said he wanted to complete his out-of-town fund-raising early in the campaign. “As you get closer to an election, you would like to spend all your time inside New York,” he said.  A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: In Run for Mayor, a Watchdog of the City Budget Is Ahead in Spending. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. has scolded city agencies for overspending, but his own campaign spending suggests he has had problems exercising restraint closer to home.