Photo by @mjb

In the District, candidates for elected office spend time and money in the hopes of winning a position that comes with a paycheck, sometimes a hefty one. But for one candidate in the 2012 races, it seems that money’s no expense — and for a position that’s fully unpaid.

According to campaign finance reports filed this week, Ward 2 resident Pete Ross loaned himself $102,000 to run for the seat currently held by D.C. Shadow Senator Michael Brown. Now, candidates loaning their campaigns money is nothing new (Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry loaned himself $4,000 for his 2012 re-election, for one), but at least there’s some hope that a victory will produce a paycheck that might help cover the expense. Not so with the shadow senator job, which has few perks and even fewer paychecks. In fact, it has none.

That’s no obstacle to Ross, who moved to the District in 1976, opened his own acrylic furniture business in Georgetown and has since remained engaged in local affairs, presiding over the Foxhall Citizens Community Association and running for office in 2000 and 2002.

Ross told us that he’s handing off the business to his son, and instead of sitting around playing golf in his golden years, he’d like to get into public service. “It’s time to give back, to help the city’s residents become real citizens,” he said.

Plus, he noted, being retired and comfortable has its fringe benefits for a shadow senator — he’ll be able to do the job full time. (All three members of the current shadow delegation have day jobs.)

About that money, though. There’s no doubt that it’s quite a bankroll for a position that doesn’t exactly steal the show, after all. (In 2008, Shadow Senator Paul Strauss raised some $30,000 for his re-election bid.) But Ross wants people to know that he’s serious, for one, and that he’s independent to boot. “By putting the money in,” he said, “People can see that I don’t want to be beholden to any special interests,” he said.

If he wins, Ross plans to continue the push for statehood, and he thinks his past life as a businessman can make him an effective lobbyist.

Along with Brown, Ross faces fellow Democrat Carl D. Thomas on the path to a November general election showdown with Republican Nelson Rimensnyder. Right now, he looks good for it — as of yesterday, none of his competitors had filed campaign finance reports.