Candidates for Tacoma City Council, mayor raise $500K for election. Who’s donating?
With only days remaining until the Nov. 2 general election, the candidates for Tacoma City Council and mayor of Tacoma have drawn in more than $500,000 in campaign donations, collectively.
The state’s Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) follows the money for campaigns across the state and requires candidates to file records of what they’re collecting.
So who’s raising the most, and where is the money coming from?
Race for mayor
It’s no surprise that a candidate for mayor has drawn in the most funding for Tacoma races: Victoria Woodards has raised $186,867 as of Oct. 26, which is still less than she raised for her run for her first term ($228,067.65) in 2017.
Woodards has drawn dollars from elected leaders across the state, including $1,000 from Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, $250 from state Rep. Jake Fey, and $100 from state Sen. T’wina Nobles, all Democrats. Even more locally, Democrats and Pierce County Council members Marty Campbell and Ryan Mello have contributed to her campaign, as well as her fellow Tacoma City Council members, Catherine Ushka, Kristina Walker, John Hines and Keith Blocker.
Mayors from other cities in the country have also donated to Woodards’ campaign, including $1,000 from Sylvester Turner, the mayor of Houston, and $500 from Stephen Benjamin, mayor of Columbia, S.C. Both mayors are members of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, of which Woodards is a founding member.
Woodards has also drawn funding from industrial corporations with locations in Tacoma, including $1,000 from Georgia-based WestRock, a pulp and paper mill; $1,000 from shipping company TOTE Maritime; and $1,000 from Portland-based Schnitzer Steel Industries.
Developers have contributed to Woodards’ campaign, including construction consultant and Point Ruston developer Loren Cohen ($2,000), Horizon Partners NW CEO Michael Bartlett ($2,000) and 253 Homes LLC ($1,000). The WA Association of Realtors PAC also contributed $1,000 to Woodards.
Woodards has drawn in thousands from organizations and unions representing service employees (Service Employees International Union Local 925 Public Service), engineers (International Union of Operating Engineers Local 612), long-term care workers (SEIU 775 Quality Care Committee) and healthcare employees (SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW).
Woodards’ opponent, Steve Haverly, has raised $9,603 for his campaign so far, according to records filed with the PDC.
Haverly, who’s worked in construction management for nearly three decades, has said he’s being intentional about not raising a lot of money, not wanting to be beholden to anyone but the voters.
“I have taken great care in being as frugal as I can with this campaign and running it as much on my own as I can,” Haverly said during a candidate forum with the Tacoma-Pierce County Housing Consortium in October.
Some have been critical of his campaign filings with the PDC. Evelyn Lopez, the former executive director of the state PDC who also had first-hand experience of running for mayor of Tacoma in 2017, said on social media that Haverly appeared to be missing information on his PDC documents, which have also been filed late.
“Haverly has failed to file contribution reports weekly,” Lopez said in a tweet on Oct. 18. “The most recent C3 contribution report was filed on Oct 10, 2021 and covers contributions made in mid-September. No cash contributions have been reported after Sept. 15.”
A candidate is required to file what is called a “C-3” report for any week in which they deposit monetary contributions, according to PDC spokesperson Kim Bradford.
“A candidate who has not received any contributions would not have a C-3 to file,” Bradford said via email. “If the candidate has received contributions in the preceding week and does not submit a C-3, they would be subject to enforcement action for either not timely depositing contributions or not timely reporting them, or both.”
Bradford could not speak to whether Haverly’s filings were out of compliance, saying a review of a candidate’s records is first needed.
Haverly told The News Tribune last week that he’s in frequent communication with the PDC to make sure he’s filing the correct documents.
Haverly has spent about $1,900 of his own money for his campaign. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302 contributed $500 to Haverly’s campaign. Integrity Construction Group, a Tacoma-based company owned by Josh Harris, has made $1,000 in in-kind contributions. Harris also contributed $1,000 in-kind donations.
In June, Harris paid bail for the three Tacoma police officers charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died of oxygen deprivation while being restrained by police.
Haverly told The News Tribune that he initially had not responded to Harris’ interest in contributing to his campaign because they “couldn’t be more polar opposite” in their political beliefs. Haverly said he decided to hear Harris out, despite not seeing “eye to eye” about the Manuel Ellis case.
Haverly said he did agree with Harris in working with police to address and stopping crime in Tacoma and accepted in-kind donations in the form of political signs.
District 2 City Council race
Candidates Sarah Rumbaugh, who runs a consulting firm, and Kelly Blucher, the community engagement manager at Goodwill, are running in the Tacoma City Council District 2 race, which serves parts of downtown Tacoma, the Port of Tacoma and Northeast Tacoma. They have collectively raised about $75,000.
Both candidates are vying to be a fresh face on City Council, as member Robert Thoms is termed out.
Rumbaugh has raised $54,386 so far. Her top three donors are Edward Klopping III ($2,000) and Bill Evans ($1,150), and the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters ($1,500).
Elected officials who have donated to Rumbaugh’s campaign are Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), state auditor Pat McCarthy and Pierce County Council members Ryan Mello, Jani Hitchen and Marty Campbell. All are Democrats.
Blucher has raised $21,340. Her top donors are a four-way tie between individuals Mary DeGagne, Amanda Westbrook, Gerrit Nyland and Norman Brickhouse for $1,000 each.
Elected officials have also donated to Blucher’s campaign, including Port of Tacoma commissioner Kristin Ang, state Sen. Mona Das (D-Kent) and Tacoma Public Schools school board member Lisa Keating.
District 4 City Council race
The two candidates vying for the Tacoma City Council District 4 seat, which represents parts of Eastside and South End neighborhoods, have raised over $50,000 for their campaigns.
Incumbent Catherine Ushka is looking to hold her seat against opponent Israel James McKinney, who works for the state Department of Social and Health Services. Ushka has raised $45,824. Her top donors are Active in Democracy Tacoma firefighters union, Washington Association of Realtors PAC, Pierce County Housing Affordability Council and Steve Fueston, a property manager, each donating $2,000.
Ushka has received donations from some top political action committees, including the Washington Association of Realtors PAC, the Washington Hospitality Association PAC, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 483 PAC and a union PAC for healthcare workers, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.
Elected officials have donated to Ushka’s campaign, including state Rep. Jake Fey (D-Tacoma), Mayor Victoria Woodards and fellow City Council members Kristina Walker, John Hines and Keith Blocker. Ushka also received $1,000 from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and $1,000 from the Washington Education Association PAC. The Tacoma Police Union PAC donated $1,000 to her in 2018.
McKinney has raised $4,368, primarily from individual donors. His top three donors are Antony Warren ($850), Cynthia Womack ($450) and Carolyn Littles ($300).
District 5 City Council race
Candidates Joe Bushnell and Anne Artman are looking to be a new face serving residents in the South Tacoma and South End neighborhoods. Current Council member Chris Beale has decided not to run again.
So far the two candidates have raised about $100,000.
Bushnell, who works as the local government affairs coordinator for the Washington Hospitality Association, has raised $32,330. His top three donors are the Washington Education Association PAC ($2,000), Schnitzer Steel Industries ($2,000) and Active in Democracy firefighters union ($2,000).
State Reps. Jake Fey and Steve Kirby, both Democrats representing the Tacoma area, have contributed to Bushnell’s campaign, as well as Congresswoman Strickland. The Pierce County Affordable Housing Council, WA Hospitality Association PAC, Point Ruston developer Cohen and Pierce County Assessor Mike Lonergan also contributed.
Artman, founder of the Tacoma Recovery Center, has raised $69,422. Her top three donors, aside from her own in-kind donations of $2,000, are SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW PAC / Service Employees International Union 1199 ($2,000), South Sound Women’s Leadership PAC ($2,000) and Derek James ($2,000).
Artman’s campaign has also received financial support from elected officials, including state Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma,and Sen. T’wina Nobles, who is also the CEO of Tacoma Urban League. The National Women’s Political Caucus of WA, the Washington Association of Realtors, WA Teamsters League, and unions representing healthcare and retail employees also contributed to Artman’s campaign.
At-Large Position 6 City Council
Brett Johnson, owner of a custom-made furniture company in Tacoma, and Kiara Daniels, the business and community development coordinator for Spaceworks Tacoma, are running for the At Large Position 6 seat representing all residents of Tacoma. The seat is being vacated by member Lillian Hunter.
The candidates have raised about $84,000.
Johnson has raised $17,720. His top donors are Keith Klein ($2,000), Wane + Flitch LLC (in-kind $2,000), Rachel Miller (in-kind $2,000) and business support services company Left Right Inc. ($2,000).
Johnson’s campaign received $1,000 from a plumbers and steamfitters union Local 26. Like mayor candidate Haverly, Johnson also received $2,000 in in-kind donations from Harris and his company Integrity Construction Group. When asked about Harris and his tie to the Tacoma officers involved in the death of Manuel Ellis, Johnson said via text that he thinks private citizens have the right to use their resources to support the causes they believe in.
Kiara Daniels has raised $66,464. Her top contributors are the Washington State Democrats ($2,000 in-kind), WA Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund ($1,250) and Jason Kinlow ($1,020).
Elected officials that have contributed to Daniels’ campaign include state Rep. Laurie Jinkins, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and Democratic Pierce County Council members Ryan Mello, Jani Hitchen and Derek Young. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, and healthcare workers and caregivers unions have also contributed to Daniels.
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
