News - Elections

POSTED: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Record-breaking dollars flow to County Council candidates

It's a history-making election for Whatcom County Council candidates.

Nearly $300,000 has been received by the eight candidates, including in-kind, independent and personal funding. Specifically, the state Public Disclosure Commission says the candidates have brought in $297,857. And a penny.

The previous record came in 2005, when candidates raised $254,249.

Candidates were required to file "C4" paperwork by Tuesday, Oct. 27, showing how they've spent money and who has provided them with in-kind contributions, loans, and more, up to Oct. 26, the period of reporting required by the PDC seven days before the Nov. 3 election.

The amount of money coming in, and potentially being spent, worries some candidates who argue that development and real estate interests are trying to pave over rural Whatcom County for financial gain.

Candidates receiving those donations insist they want no such thing, and say they simply want to listen to more people than current or former council members and Planning Commissioner Ken Mann would.

MORE CAMPAIGNING TO COME

Candidates vary on where they get their cash, but make no mistake, there's a lot of it.

It also appears that several candidates have large war chests but haven't spent much of it with only a week to go. That could mean big TV advertising campaigns, robo-calls to your home phones, or more campaign mailers, depending on candidates' strategies.

Three of the four conservative council challengers, Mary Beth Teigrob, Kathy Kershner and Bill Knutzen, have raised more than $40,000 each, but haven't spent much. Kershner reported spending the most, but only $7,730.

The other challenger, Michelle Luke, has spent $34,869 of her $47,275 raised, including $17,500 of her personal money.

Of the four progressive candidates, only Mann has more than half of his war chest, $41,242, intact. He has spent $18,015, according to his PDC reports.

Former County Councilman Dan McShane has spent $21,084 of his $27,828 raised; Councilman Carl Weimer has spent $26,644 of his $28,040; and Councilwoman Laurie Caskey-Schreiber has spent nearly all of her $26,180 raised.

Their money went to mailers, TV commercials, food for parties, and other uses. The conservative candidates spent their money on similar things.

SOURCES OF MONEY DEBATED

Candidates contend there's a stark difference in who is supporting their campaigns.

McShane points out that most of his contributions are smaller - his named contributors have given an average of $92 - from 208 individuals. That doesn't include the more than 100 contributions of less than $25.

Kershner has raised $915 from 74 unnamed contributors. She averages $185 per contributor from 226 named contributors, excluding those giving less than $25, which aren't required to be named.

McShane used news about a $19,500 contribution that his opponent, Kershner, received, as a catalyst to spur more fundraising. It worked, bringing in more than $5,000 in smaller contributions, averaging $69 from 72 people, in five days.

Kershner argues that the $19,500 was not special interest money, but a contribution from one person, Saturna Capital founder Nicholas Kaiser, who is seeking more business-minded people on the council.

McShane says certain special interests in the development industry, such as the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County, are contributing because they believe there is financial gain - the ability to expand more into the rural areas of the county - if conservative candidates are elected.

The association hasn't specifically used its political arm, the Whatcom County Affordable Housing Council, to donate this campaign season, at least yet. But people associated with the organization have contributed.

Kershner says she really wasn't even familiar with the association until October, when she met with members to chat.