SEQUIM — Ten candidates linked with two competing slates have raised more than $35,000 in their bids for election to the Sequim City Council, according to interviews and state Public Disclosure Commission records.
The Sequim Good Governance League (SGGL) slate of Vicki Lowe, Rachel Anderson, Kathy Downer, Brandon Janisse and Lowell Rathbun has outraised Sarah Kincaid, Keith Larkin, Patrick Day, Mike Pence and Daryl Ness, backed by the Independent Advisory Association (IAA), $25,000-$15,000.
The IAA (restoreclallam.com) bills itself as “populist in alignment” but says its volunteers aim to help candidates prepare to run for election and they “do not impose an ideological test on the citizen candidates we support.” In the past it has referred to its makeup as “conservative populist.”
The SGGL (sequimgoodgovernanceleague.org) says it “promotes transparency” and is against “irresponsible government.” The SGGL Political Action Committee, which is separate from the SGGL nonprofit, raises political donations.
Candidates such as Lowe who collect $5,000 or more in contributions in pursuit of the nonpartisan positions are required to submit regular public reports with the state Public Disclosure Commission (pdc.wa.gov).
Candidates who collect less than $5,000 in contributions must make campaign account books available for public inspection during the 10 days before the general elections.
Below are contributions of $100 and information on expenditures for the candidates based on PDC records and interviews Thursday and Friday.
Position 2
Sarah Kincaid
Kincaid, the Position 2 appointed incumbent, has raised less than $1,200 and has two contributions, $500 from James Barbarus of Sequim, who donated $2,000 to the IAA slate, and $100 from Sequim Mayor William Armacost.
The remainder of her campaign funding is from her, she said.
Kincaid said she and the other four IAA-backed candidates chipped in $106 each for two campaign advertisements.
They also split the cost of a mailer, Kincaid said, adding she purchased about 20 yard signs, too.
Kathy Downer
Downer’s contributions total $3,830. Her expenditures are $3,668, a portion paying for 125 yard signs at a cost of more than $1,000; social media exposure, and 2,000 rack cards, or door hangers.
Downer loaned her campaign $200, she said. She received $500 from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, which donated $2,500 to SGGL candidates; $500 from the Washington Education Association Political Action Committee (WEA-PAC), Federal Way, which contributed $3,000 to SGGL candidates, and $200 from the Clallam County Democratic Party organization, Port Angeles, which donated $700 to the candidates.
Contributions, which are listed on Downer’s website, committeetoelectkathydowner.com, include $300: Carol Tift, Macon, Ga.; $250: Ron Richards, Port Angeles; $200: Ester Ostermann, Temecula, Calif.; Michael Chase and Terri Tyler, Sequim; $150: Steven Burkett, Sequim; $100: Debra Crumb, Margaret Wallace, Harriet Hopgood, Dale Jarvis (an SGGL board member), William Peterson, Kathleen Cooper, Richard Deucher and Nancy Herr, Sequim and Denise Cordero, Carlsborg.
Position 3
Vicki Lowe
Lowe is the former tribal health benefit manager for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, which gave $1,000 to her campaign, as did the WEA-PAC. Her father is a tribal member.
Lowe’s contributions of $8,775 and expenditures of $7,817 are listed at pdc.wa.gov.
Lowe, executive director of the American Indian Health Commission of Washington State, purchased 210 signs. Three newspaper advertisements cost her $1,960. She spent money on brochures, postcards, campaign buttons and car decal signs.
Lowe donated $250 to her campaign.
Other donations included $405: small contributions; $300: Geraldine Mueller, Sequim; $250: Sharon Castell, Phil Castell, Alan Millet, Dave Blake, Brenda Millett, Sequim; Terry Grinnell, Port Angeles; Heather Erb, Bellingham.
Donations of $200 were from Terri Tyler, Sequim; $150: Donald Dybeck, Celeste Dybeck, Port Townsend; Ron Allen, Merline Allen, Sequim; $125: Ron Richards, Nina Richards, Port Angeles; Marsha Maguire, Sequim.
Donations of $100 were from Sally Fairbanks, Port Ludlow; Trina Frager, Sevey Williams, Harriet Hopgood, Nancy Irish, Denise B. Cordero, Christine Walker, Dale Jarvis, Patrice Johnston, Annie Lowe, Michael Chase, Tomas Lowe, Margaret Wallace, Kathleen Cooper, Debra A. Crumb, Sequim; Chelsea Waliser, Seattle; Jeffrey Sterling, Everett; Marg DeFord, Poulsbo; Trinadad Lopez, Platitas, N.M.; Jim Roberts, Longview; Cassie R. Marshall, Camas.
Michael Pence
Pence, the appointed incumbent, has raised $1,200 that includes $250 he loaned to his campaign, and spent $1,079.
Contributions of $100 or more are $500 each from James Barbarus and Anderson Homes, Sequim, and $100 each from IAA cofounder Donald Hall and from William Armacost.
He bought 60 yard signs, 12 of which had disappeared that he suspects were stolen.
Pence was unconcerned about the fundraising disparity between him and Lowe.
“I’ve gotten my message out there, I think, as much as she has,” he said.
Position 4
Rachel Anderson
Appointed incumbent Rachel Anderson has raised $4,120, including $500 from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and the WEA-PAC.
Her contributions and expenditures are at her Rachel Anderson for City Council Facebook page.
Anderson received donations of $500: Dale Jarvis and Diana Lee, Sequim; $250: Clallam County Democratic Central Committee, Port Angeles; William Peterson and Florence Peterson; $200: Christine Walker, Sequim; $150: Steven Burkett, Richard Deucher and Nancy Herr, Kathy Downer and Steve Downer, Sequim; $125: Ronald Richards, Nina Richards, Port Angeles; $100: Denise Cordero, Carlsborg.
Daryl Ness
Ness spent $1,770 of his own money on his campaign and did not seek donations.
“I didn’t want any donations that were going to ascribe me to make any decisions for anybody,” he said.
“No matter what I think, I want to represent the people. Whatever the majority wants, that’s what I want.”
The IAA’s assistance in helping him understand the electoral system was vital, he said.
“You have no idea how hard it is to run as a candidate,” Ness said.
Position 5
Brandon Janisse
Janisse, the elected incumbent, is a control-room technician at the Clallam County jail.
He has raised $3,335, buying 50 signs and rack cards, posters, and thank-you cards.
He and the other SGGL-backed candidates have held meet-and-greets together, he said.
“This is my first time as part of a slate,” Janisse said. “It’s good because there’s more support behind you.”
His contributions are listed on his campaign Facebook page, Reelect Brandon Janisse Sequim City Council 2021.
A $500 contribution from the WEA-PAC was one of 18 donations, he said.
He received $250 from Nina and Ron Richards, Port Angeles; $200: Michael Chase and Terri Tyler, Sequim; $100: Heidi Hackett, Peter Harrington, Donna Hackett, Teri DiMartino, Denise Cordero, Margaret Wallace and Ronald Shannon, Debbie Crumb, Patrice Johnston, Harriet Hopgood, Steve Burkett, Michael Chase and Terri Tyler, Sequim; Michelle Williams, Idaho Falls.
Patrick Day
Day, a retired California corrections officer, raised $1,900, accepting money from two contributors — James Barbarus, who donated $500, and Tim Brown of Sequim, $100.
Day purchased 50 yard signs and had several stolen, he said.
He said he and a helper doorbelled about 2,000 homes to get the word out about his campaign.
Position 6
Keith Larkin
Appointed incumbent Keith Larkin said he has raised $4,348.
His donations include $500: Greg McCarry, Joann Estes, James Barbarus, Brody Broker Team, Anderson Homes, Sequim; Jeff Cristina, Los Gatos, Calif.; $250: Washington Realtors Political Action Committee, Olympia; $106: Gayle Baker, Sequim; $100: Donald and Elyse Hall, William Armacost, Sequim.
Larkin put $650 of his own money into the campaign and bought business cards, magentic signs, rack cards, and newspaper and radio advertising. He bought 150 signs, put out about 75, and had at least 10 stolen, he said.
He said he has worked on Sequim Republican Sue Forde’s past campaigns.
Lowell Rathbun
Rathbun, whose campaign funding data is at rathbunforcouncil.weebly.com, raised $4,993 as of Friday and has cut off donations to his campaign so he does not exceed the $5,000 limit for mini-filers.
Rathbun loaned his campaign $1,100. His largest expenses were $1,600 for a postcard mailing and 150 yard signs.
Rathbun was an SGGL board member before resigning and running for the city council.
Rathbun’s donations included $500: WEA-PAC, Federal Way; Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Sequim; $250, Clallam County Democrats, Port Angeles; $150: Steve Burkett, Sequim; $125: Ronald and Nina Richards, Ronald Richards, Port Angeles; $100: Dale Jarvis, Debra Crumb and Maryann Meersman, Harriet Hopgood, Margaret Wallace and Ronald Shannon, Sam Woods, Tina Frager, Ann Peterson-Kemp, Kathleen Cooper, Michael Chase, Terry Tyler, Randy Tierney, Richard Deucher and Nancy Herr, William Peterson, Florence Peterson, Sequim; Denise Cordero, Carlsborg.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
