PORT TOWNSEND — A Republican, two Democrats and a Republican turned independent turned Democrat have raised a combined $36,000 and spent most of it on the primary election for District 3 Jefferson County commissioner that ends Tuesday, according to state Public Disclosure Commission reports as of Saturday.
The top two vote-getters in the Quilcene-Port Hadlock-area primary that ends Tuesday will advance to the countywide Nov. 6 general election.
It’s the only contested county primary race on the ballot, which includes two-person partisan races that will automatically advance to the general election.
The county commissioner candidates, vying to succeed Democrat Kathleen Kler for the four-year position, have filed their contribution and expenditure reports with the PDC at www.pdc.wa.gov.
Sea Change Cannabis store owner Greg Brotherton is the top money-raiser so far with $13,774 in total contributions, including $250 from Kler.
Brotherton has spent $11,691 so far.
Also on the ballot is fellow Democrat Ryan McAllister, a Jefferson Healthcare hospital emergency room technician who has raised $11,352 and spent $10,734.
He’s joined by Jon Cooke, a substitute teacher, county Sheriff’s Office custodian and chairman of Jefferson County Republicans. Cooke has raised $6,479 and spent $3,631.
Democrat Craig Durgan is a Port Hadlock mini-storage owner who ran for a 24th District House seat in the state Legislature in 2010 as a Republican and in 2012 with no party preference.
He has $4,408 in contributions and spent $4,108.
Brotherton, a former Quilcene School Board member, said Friday he’s optimistic about his chances for advancing to the general election.
“I’ll just keep working till the end,” he vowed.
Brotherton’s wide array of 30 expenditures includes his largest single allotment of $1,700 for campaign buttons and signs.
He’s also spent $158 for campaign management training at Wellstone, a St. Paul, Minn. progressive advocacy organization named for the late Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone and his wife, Sheila.
Having 111 contributions listed in PDC records “is kind of galvanizing,” Brotherton said.
Brotherton has loaned his campaign $3,035.
McAllister is going it alone, listing 80 contributions as of Saturday and expenditures that focus on newspaper advertising and campaign signs.
McAllister expects to move his campaign efforts, including going door to door, into Districts 1 and 2 following the primary — and to leave Durgan and Cooke in his wake.
He said he doesn’t have the advantage of loaning money to his campaign and proudly accepts contributions.
“The majority of people I know and come across are working class people,” McAllister said Saturday.
“If you could only run for office if you had the ability to fund your own campaign, then a lot of people wouldn’t be able to run a campaign.”
Cooke, as the only Republican on the primary ballot, said he’s proud of what his campaign has done to get out the word.
His 18 campaign expenditures so far include $905 for campaign signs and $189 he’s spent to begin paying himself back for $830 he’s loaned his campaign.
“We are spending our money wisely,” Cooke said.
“We’ve put a lot into signs and rack cards and handing [the cards] out to people.”
Durgan said he’s not concerned that he has one contributor other than himself or that he has spent $4,108 of the $4,408 in his campaign coffers.
“Money does not equate to everything, so I’m not too worried about that,” he said.
“I just think there’s too much money in politics, so I’m funding it myself.
“A lot of other candidates have contributors from outside the district and outside the county, and in some cases outside the state, and I just don’t think that’s right.”
Durgan said he grew up as a Democrat and says he’s a conservative member of the party.
“I just decided I’ll run as a Democrat,” he said.
“I don’t really have to have a reason.”
Only Quilcene-Port Hadlock-area District 3 voters cast ballots in the primary.
The following contributions of $100 or more and total expenditures for Brotherton, Cooke, Durgan and McAllister were listed on the PDC website as of Saturday morning:
Greg Brotherton
Total contributions, including in-kind, and loans: $13,774.
In-kind: $35.
Loans: $3,035.
Expenditures: $11,691.
Contributors:
$500: Thomas Brotherton, Cassandra Brotherton, Scott Freeman, Quilcene; George Yount, Port Townsend.
$350: Linda A. Herzog, Quilcene.
$325: Connie Gallant, Quilcene
$250: Dave Woodruff, Jeanette A. Woodruff, Samuel W. Shoen, Michelle Sandoval, Brian Roe, Linda Abbott-Roe, Port Townsend; John Fabian, Port Ludlow; Linda Herzog, Kathleen A. Kler, Thomas D. Meyer, Quilcene.
$200: Virginia Krankel, Williamsburg, Va.
$150: Todd Feinstein, Sequim.
$125: Judith A. Dziuba, James W. Dziuba, Christine S. Satterlee, David W. Satterlee, Eric Anderson, Sandy Shea, Quilcene; Deborah Pedersen, Bruce Cowan, Port Townsend.
$100: Jim Brewer, Teri Hein, Christina L. Olson, Seattle; Judith E. Woods, Susie Vass, Kent; Christina L. Olson, Seattle; Robert A. Bindschadler, Ezra Eickmeyer, Peter Newland; Merrily Mount, Allen Terry, Linda A. Karp, June J. Sinclair, Port Ludlow; Melinda Bryden, Ron Hayes, Ann Norton, Alise Vetica Moss, Port Townsend.
Jon Cooke
Total contributions, including in-kind contributions, and loans: $6,479.
In-kind: $604, Jon Cooke, Quilcene; $415: Sherry Cooke, Quilcene.
Loans: $830.
Expenditures: $3,631.
Contributors:
$1,000: Jefferson County Republicans.
$398: Sherry Cooke, Jon Cooke, Quilcene
$300: Andy Visser, Brinnon
$200: John Boulton, Quilcene; Steven Silberman, Port Townsend
$150: Ron Riggle, Chimacum
$125: Karen Farr, Gene Farr, Port Townsend.
$100: Lynn Hisey, Carol Crosby, Steve Crosby, Port Townsend; Robert Zornes, Silverdale; John Bobo, Betty Bobo, Jon Cooke, Bob Gunther, Quilcene; Howard Cooke, Myrtle Point, Ore.
Craig E. Durgan
Total contributions, including in-kind contributions: $4,408.
In-kind: $4,108 Craig E. Durgan, Port Hadlock
Expenditures: $4,108.
Contributions:
$300: Laurie Hampton, Port Ludlow
Ryan McAllister
Total contributions, including in-kind: $11,352.
In-kind: $84.
Expenditures: $10,734.
Contributors:
$2,000: Laurel Burik, Nordland.
$1,000: Carla Woodward, Matthew Woodward, Port Hadlock; John Crooks, Chimacum.
$750: Linda Callahan, Brinnon
$540: Ruth Ross, Port Townsend
$500: David Comeau, Silverdale; Juliet Parfrey, Port Ludlow.
$320: Laurie Chambers, Nordland
$300: Daniel Sutton, Port Townsend.
$250: John Gonnella, Nordland.
$200: Linda Brewster, Port Townsend
$150: Karla Cole, Bainbridge Island.
$127: Linda Sutton, Port Townsend
$109: Celeste Bennett, Nordland
$108: Ionela Radulescu, Poulsbo
$100: Jo Ann Comstock, Nordland; Grettel Cortes, Los Angeles, Calif.; Katrin Nelson, Olympia; Carmen Aguire, Long Beach, Calif.; Andrew Dennis, Mill Creek; Ruth Aumack, Dawn Darrington, Hannah McFarland, Port Townsend; Robert McDaniel, Quilcene; Robert Domin, Port Ludlow; Tammy Markham, Port Angeles.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
