Here are recent posts from The News Tribune’s Political Buzz blog. For the inside scoop on government and politics, go online to blog.thenewstribune.com/politics.

Among the campaign money streaming into the Tacoma mayor’s race in the final weeks before Election Day are two intriguing donations recently made to candidate Marilyn Strickland.

The first: $200 contributed Sept. 16 by a Patrice McCarthy of Tacoma. The second: $100 given six days later by Keri Rawlings-Rooney of University Place.

I’ve confirmed that the former donation was made by none other than Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy (Strickland’s campaign contribution report lists only the words “info. requested” under the “Employer’s name/occupation” field for McCarthy’s donation).

Meanwhile, McCarthy’s executive director of external affairs, Keri Rooney, confirmed that she donated to Marilyn Strickland (as well as her opponent, Jim Merritt).

What makes each of these campaign donations intriguing is a purported spat between McCarthy and Merritt’s campaign that recently became public.

In August, after McCarthy had publicly endorsed Merritt’s run for office, she abruptly withdrew her endorsement of the Tacoma architect.

Merritt’s campaign claimed the executive’s withdrawal of support occurred because Merritt had challenged Sound Transit’s commuter rail design through the Dome District at a public meeting.

McCarthy and Rooney later denied those claims to The News Tribune. McCarthy declined to elaborate on the reasons for pulling her support of Merritt, but said: “I just made a decision that I’m not going to get involved in the City of Tacoma mayor’s race.”

So if that’s the case, then what gives with McCarthy’s recent donation to the Strickland camp?

“I guess I just changed my mind,” McCarthy said during a phone call last week.

The political contribution wasn’t planned, McCarthy said, nor does it have anything to do with Merritt. McCarthy said she recently was at her son’s home, baby-sitting. Strickland, out door-belling the neighborhood, happened to knock on the door. McCarthy invited Strickland in, gave her a glass of water and listened to her stump speech, McCarthy said.

“I was just impressed with what she had to say, and I think she has a lot to offer the City of Tacoma,” McCarthy said. “So, I wrote her a check.”

McCarthy added that she isn’t endorsing Strickland, and noted she already gave $100 to Merritt’s campaign.

“I have given a lot of money to a lot of candidates,” McCarthy said.

Lewis Kamb, The News Tribune