West’s Dec. 6 recall election shaping up as low-budget affair

Some three weeks after Mayor Jim West asked supporters for financial help to fight an upcoming recall, he has raised $4,000 for the campaign to save his job.

That’s significantly less than the $150,000 West estimated he would need in his Sept. 25 campaign letter. But it’s $4,000 more than a group trying to organize a campaign to support the recall.

Documents filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission show that West’s biggest contributors thus far are a pair of lobbyists based in Western Washington.

Thomas Parker, who counts the city of Spokane, the Fox Theater and the Spokane Public Facilities District among his clients, gave West $500. So did Eliason Enterprises Inc., whose president Denny Eliason was the Association of Washington Business lobbyist of the year. Eliason clients include Amazon.com, Intel, the Washington Bankers Association and Washington Restaurant Association.

Eliason and Parker have histories of giving to candidates of both major parties in state elections. Neither gave to West, a longtime Republican legislator, in his 2003 campaign for mayor.

In all, West has received contributions from 28 separate individuals or companies. His campaign expenses include more than $85,000 for legal bills to fight the recall effort. His letter estimated he would need $150,000 for an aggressive campaign of mailings and TV ads to counter the reporting of The Spokesman-Review and to “tell my side of the story.”

Beginning May 5, The Spokesman-Review published allegations of sexual molestation and abuse of office involving West. He has acknowledged poor judgment but denied wrongdoing. The newspaper’s complete reports, and his denials, can be found on its Web site, www.spokesmanreview.com.

Supporters of the recall campaign have yet to file any reports with the state Public Disclosure Commission, but individuals involved say they have yet to form an organized campaign committee, or raise or spend any money.

The author of the recall effort, Shannon Sullivan, stepped down after the proposal was certified for a Dec. 6 special election ballot. The committee she formed to gather signatures on recall petitions and defend the effort against court challenges would not be involved in the election campaign, she said.

A group of volunteers held a meeting on Oct. 4 but never decided anything, former spokeswoman Rita Amunrud said. It never even settled on a name.

“They were in the process of forming, but they had not had any meetings that made any formal decisions,” said Amunrud, who stepped down because of time constraints. “There’s probably not a clear consensus as to what they’re going to need.”

Under state law, a group has two weeks from the day it forms or raises or spends money on a campaign to file reports with the disclosure commission. Because that first meeting was two weeks ago, recall supporters could be in violation of that law if they engaged in campaign activity, a commission spokesman said.

David Bray, a former City Council candidate and civic activist, said a meeting is scheduled for Thursday, and a treasurer will be appointed at that time and campaign reports will be filed, as required by state law.

“We’ll do everything by the book,” Bray said.

Spokane business money is not expected to flood the recall campaign, either for or against the mayor.

Anthony Bonanzino, past chairman of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce trustees, said the chamber’s call for West to step down last spring and subsequent letter asking him to resign are expected to be the chamber’s continued position. The chamber was joined by the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau and Spokane Area Economic Development Council in urging West to resign, in part because of damage the West controversy was expected to cause the city.

The mayor’s troubles are “not the image we need for Spokane,” Bonanzino said last week. “The issue is hanging out there and needs to be resolved.”

The chamber traditionally does not give money to candidates, though it occasionally supports ballot issues.

Steve Corker, a candidate for City Council in northwest Spokane, said he’s been told that business leaders will mostly remain on the fund-raising sidelines.

West reportedly has approached at least two large city labor groups asking about the possibility of contributions to his recall fight, but so far the unions have not reported any gifts or agreed to any.

Lt. Greg Borg, president of firefighters Local 29, said the mayor told him in a hallway conversation he might ask for the union’s help but had not formally requested campaign contributions. Any decision on contributions would be referred to the membership for approval or rejection, Borg said.