Even though the campaign season for mayor of Detroit has not officially started, that’s not stopping early mud from being tossed or dirt from being dug up by the local media.

The Detroit News ran a story Wednesday revealing interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel, Jr.’s outstanding debt to Wayne County: $42,000 in fines.

According to the report, Cockrel failed to disclose nearly $50,000 in campaign contributions until after the elections in 2001 and 2005. This late disclosure brought Cockrel $42,000 in fines with the county.

This news could ruin Cockrel’s mayoral run in the special election, or worse: He reportedly signed an affidavit under penalty of perjury when he entered his name into the mayoral race earlier this month that stated that he was in compliance with campaign finance laws. That includes having no outstanding campaign fines.

Some critics, including political analyst and former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick supporter Adolf Mongo (who says he has not supporting any candidate in the next mayoral election), are claiming that Cockrel lied under oath — something Cockrel blasted then-mayor Kilpatrick for doing during the text messaging scandal.

This morning, Mongo filed a request with the city clerk’s office to remove interim Mayor Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr.’s name from the ballot for the special election.

Why would he wait to tell who contributed to his campaign and risk getting fined? The list of those contributors Cockrel was late in reporting may also end up turnng off voters: Cockrel got $3,000 from Karl Kado, a controversial West Bloomfield businessman who had held lucrative contracts at Cobo Center and was recently charged with filing false income tax returns. Cockrel also got $8,500 from a political action committee connected to scandalized Anthony Soave, whose company has a contract to provide cab service at Detroit Metro Airport, according to the Detroit News.

Cockrel’s not the only candidate facing hurdles: of the 18 hopefuls who submitted their mayoral bids on Oct. 14, only 14 remain. But those candidates who do make it to the special election are probably taking notes for future negative ads against Cockrel.

That’s assuming, of course, that Cockrel can keep his name on the ballot.