PORT TOWNSEND — Three of the four candidates for two Port of Port Townsend commissioner seats — the only countywide race in Tuesday’s general election — funded their campaigns at least to some extent out of their own wallets, according to records of contributions and expenditures the candidates made available to the Peninsula Daily News last week.
Only Leif Erickson, running for Port of Port Townsend commissioner against longtime incumbent Herb Beck for the Position 3 seat, relied entirely on campaign contributions.
Like Beck, Postion 2 incumbent Dave Thompson and challenger Robert Schuessler used some of their own money in their campaigns.
Under threshold
The candidates in Tuesday’s general election — two incumbents and two challengers — have registered under the state Public Disclosure Commission’s “mini-reporting” requirement.
It allows them to raise up to $5,000 without having to report the expenditures or contributions to the PDC, but they cannot accept more than $500 from any single contributor. But candidates who mini-report must make the records available for public review eight days before the all-mail-ballot general election.
Only candidates running for office in voting districts with 5,000 or more voters must file with the PDC, a requirement that applies to the port and hospital district races in Jefferson County.
Ballots were mailed Oct. 14 and must be postmarked by Tuesday or returned to the courthouse by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The largest single contribution among the port candidates — as well as the race for the board governing Jefferson Healthcare hospital — was Port Townsend resident Alfred Craun’s $500 to Schuessler’s campaign.
“He’s an old friend,” Schuessler said of Craun. “He just wanted to help out.”
Thompson-Schuessler, Position 2
Schuessler, 66, a retired harbormaster who raised $2,235 and spent $484 of his own funds, said most of his contributions came from port tenants, people in the marine trades and residents of the Kah Tai Lagoon area.
Thompson, 66, a shipwright who raised $1,175, attributed Schuessler’s comparative success in raising contributions to the activities of the Port Townsend Moorage Tenants Union, members of which have expressed support for Schuessler and port commission candidate Leif Erickson, who is running against incumbent Herb Beck.
The Tenants Union is advocating for lower moorage rates.
“The most active efforts in this campaign have been put out by the Tenants Union in favor of the challengers,” Thompson said.
Thompson expects to spend $200 to $300 of his own money.
His expenditures include $866 for newspaper advertising and $462 for 100 signs.
Thompson’s contributions, not including amounts below $25, consist of $350 — Jerry and Peggy Thuott, Port Ludlow; $200 — George Yount, Port Townsend; $150 — J.D. and Connie Gallant, Quilcene; $100 — Ralph Simms, Chimacum; Mark Grant, Port Townsend, Jerry Hampton, Port Ludlow; and Loren Kapp, Bellingham; and $75 — Dave Barrett, Port Townsend.
Schuessler’s $2,235 in contributions consist of $500 — Alfred Craun, Port Townsend; $250 — Bluewater Marine, Port Townsend; $150 — Rosemary Sikes, Port Townsend; $140 — cash from members of the Port Townsend Moorage Tenants Union; $100 — Carlyn Stark, Port Townsend; Lynn Beckhorn, Chimacum; Chris Grace, Port Townsend; Nora Regan, Port Townsend; and Susan Hoover, Port Townsend.
Also, $50 — Bill Friel, Chimacum; Sean Rankins, Port Townsend; Bertram Levy, Port Townsend; Patricia Brayton, Port Townsend; John Jones, Port Townsend; Donald Haviland, Port Townsend; Robert Steele, Port Townsend; and Kathleen Mitchell, Port Townsend; $40 — Jeff Kelety, Port Townsend.
Also $25 — Richard Tietjen, Port Townsend; Marilyn Muller, Port Townsend; Gwinn Dunham Jr., Port Ludlow; Kenneth Mikkelson, Port Townsend; Elizabeth Urner, Port Townsend; Glen Paris-Stamm, Port Townsend; Jack Harrison, Port Townsend.
Schuessler’s expenditures include $880 on signs and $1,173 on newspaper advertising.
Beck-Erickson, Position 3
The race between incumbent Beck, 71, owner of Little Quill Farm in Quilcene, and Erickson, 58, production manager at Townsend Bay Marine, was marked by an end-of-campaign PDC warning letter to Erickson.
The Oct. 21 admonition said that Erickson had wrongly failed to identify the sponsor of campaign literature he had distributed at a Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce meeting in September.
Erickson fixed the problem, he said, adding that he had not understood the regulation.
Former Port Commissioner Bob Sokol, who has contributed $100 to Beck’s campaign, filed a complaint that led to the warning.
Erickson said the warning letter did not hurt him politically.
“I got the notice from the PDC, and then shortly after, found myself in the paper, which I don’t think hurt me at all. I got my name out there as front-page news.”
Beck, a port commissioner for 36 years, had a different take.
“I certainly wouldn’t want it to happen to me, because I read those rules and regulations and try to follow them,” Beck said.
Beck, who loaned his campaign $1,800, had $1,765 in contributions that consisted of $30 — Gerald and Peggy Thuotte, Port Ludlow; $200 — J. K. Farr, K. R. Farr. Port Townsend; and George and Jo Yount, Port Townsend; $150 — JD and Connie Gallant, Quilcene; $100 — Eagle Eye Inc., Port Townsend; Discovery Timber Co., Port Townsend; Malcolm Harris, Seattle; R.H. Sokol, Port Townsend; E.H. Sokol, Port Townsend; and Kathleen Fox, Port Townsend.
Also, $55 — Fundraiser, Quilcene; $50 — Pat Roger, Bremerton; Wayne and Peggy King, Gardiner; R. H. Hinton, Port Townsend; Bernard and Germaine Arthur, Port Townsend
His expenditures included $2,429 in printing and mailing costs and $1,115 for newspaper advertising.
Leif Erickson’s contributions of $1,273 consist of $323 — Contributions of $25 or less; $150 — Rosemary Sikes, Port Townsend; $100 — Elora Erickson, Bellevue; Bertram Levy, Port Townsend; Phil Andrus, Port Townsend; Bluewater Marine, Port Townsend; and Sue Hoover, Port Townsend.
Also, $50 — Northwest Sails, Port Hadlock; Donald S. Haviland, Port Townsend; Robert Steele and Mary Swift, Port Townsend; Kathleen Mitchell, Port Townsend; Gary Rossow, Patricia Brayton, (no city of residence listed by candidate).
Erickson spent $733 on signs and $375 on a newspaper advertisement.
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Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.