Matt Damon is a friend of city councillor Marjorie Decker and contributed to her reelection campaign. (Photo: Bex Walton)

Contributors to the City Council campaign are friends and relatives. They also are a Hollywood actor, the Bay State governor and a former executive editor of The New York Times, according to state records.

Cambridge-born Matt Damon, who will star as Whitey Bulger in a film directed by Ben Affleck, contributed $500 to councillor Marjorie Decker on Oct. 24.

Asked about the connection, Decker wrote Monday: “Matt and I grew up in the same neighborhood and attended CRLS. More importantly, we both are committed to social economic justice.”

Councillor Ken Reeves got $200 last April 11 from Gov. Deval Patrick.

Joseph Lelyveld, a Pulitzer Prize-winning executive editor of the Times from 1994 to 2001 and interim executive editor in 2003, contributed $100 to the campaign for councillor Sam Seidel.

Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong, now in a reelection fight, took time last June to contribute $50 to challenger Minka vanBeuzekom.

Others find their contributors closer to home.

Incumbent Tim Toomey has a couple who are city employees — police Officer John Callinan and George Thomas, the public-works foreman, each of whom contributed $250 last June.

Incumbent Leland Cheung attracted $50 in September from Scott Harshbarger, the former state attorney general who lost his bid to be governor in 1998.

And challengers Charles Marquardt, Matt Nelson, Seidel, vanBeuzekom and Cheung all have contributors with last names similar to each of theirs.