I paid the fee and it appears all the other candidates did as well. I considered the other route and think it’s a neat way to make money not an obstacle to running for public office as well as giving an opportunity for candidates to meet their constituents. I have been planning my candidacy for months and somewhat arbitrarily chose to pay the fee figuring I would have plenty of opportunities to meet and interact with constituents no matter which option I chose. As I understand it, I was the first one to file my Affidavit of Candidacy which I also planned.