Commission Candidate Piles Up Cash Wilkinson Picked Up $15,000 Last Month For Election Bid

Money continues to pour into Republican Karl Wilkinson’s campaign to unseat Spokane County Commissioner John Roskelley.

Wilkinson raised $15,000 during the past month, bringing his total for the campaign to more than $33,000, according to the latest public disclosure records.

“That shows there are a lot of people out there who are starting to pay attention to what’s going on in Spokane County,” said Wilkinson, a real estate agent and former member of the East Valley School Board.

Wilkinson has distinguished himself as the most financially viable of the three candidates running for the Republican nomination to challenge Roskelley, a Democrat completing his first full term.

Jerry Hester and Bill Sprague have nominal support, having raised less than $5,000 between them.

The primary is scheduled for September, with the general election in November.

So far, Roskelley has reported no contributions to his re-election campaign. The Democrat said Thursday he has received money but that his campaign treasurer is out of the country and has not been able to make a formal financial report to the elections office.

“I had some money left over from my last campaign, and there’s more coming in,” said Roskelley, who is expected to formally announce his bid this month.

Roskelley raised just more than $22,000 during his entire 1996 campaign. He has about $3,100 left over, records state.

He conceded Thursday that Wilkinson will probably raise more money than him, and that the cash will allow the challenger to buy name recognition.

“Traditionally, Republicans have been able to outraise Democrats,” Roskelley said. “I have to rely on a variety of sources for my support.”

While Wilkinson claims widespread support, more than half his war chest has been donated by development and business interests, according to the records.

Many in the development community have expressed their desire to defeat Roskelley, whom they see as an impediment to their interests.

Spokane Valley entrepreneur Bernard Daines and his wife, Marsha, contributed $12,000 to Wilkinson’s cause last month, according to public disclosure records.

Daines has been critical of county land-use policies. Last year, he sued the county to obtain e-mail messages regarding the Growth Management Act.

Industrial conglomerate Hanson Industries gave him $1,000.

The Spokane Home Builders Association political action committee donated $5,000 to Wilkinson and this month gave him its formal endorsement.

“There’s no false assumption that we’re getting a home-builder advocate,” said Mark Richard, the organization’s government affairs director. “But he is asking people in our industry about what’s affecting them and what they need. I literally cannot carry on a conversation with Mr. Roskelley because he has made it clear he’s not interested.”

Roskelley said Thursday he knew the building community would support his opponent.

“I think they’re going to line up against anyone who sees (the Growth Management Act) as a state law that helps the community,” he said.

Roskelley said he is counting on grass-roots support from people who believe regulating growth is a good thing.

“I have supported ordinances and initiatives that promote smart growth over sprawl,” he said. “I just have to run on my record.”

Richard said the Home Builders Association is still analyzing which candidates the organization will support in the other commissioner race and the bid for Spokane’s strong mayor.

Republican Kate McCaslin is up for re-election to her District 2 seat. She is currently facing challenges from Republican Bill Evans, a selfemployed businessman and county planning commissioner, and Democrat Bill Burke, also self-employed and organizer of Pig-Out-In-ThePark.

McCaslin has raised just over $13,000, her challengers nothing, according to elections records.

The Home Builders PAC recently interviewed McCaslin and sent representatives to Thursday’s campaign kickoffs for two Spokane mayoral candidates, state Sen. Jim West and current Mayor John Talbott, Richard said.

Spokane attorney John Powers has also announced his candidacy for strong mayor.

“We’re in the investigative mode right now,” Richard said. “We see that as a very important race.”