Hession raises, spends most in mayoral race

Mayor Dennis Hession has raised more than twice as much campaign money as his two main challengers combined and has spent more than council members Mary Verner and Al French put together.

The incumbent continues to receive financial support from Avista Corp. and some of its executives, as well as attorneys and other business leaders.

Verner has received some of her strongest financial backing from Native American tribes and family members while French received financial boosts in the last month from some development and real estate sources. Both have put some of their own money into their campaigns, either through personal loans or out-of-pocket expenditures, while Hession thus far has not used personal funds.

Hession collected nearly $108,000 through the first week of June, and spent more than $54,000, according to reports filed this week with the state Public Disclosure Commission.

His biggest donor remains Avista, which has contributed a total of $14,200 in cash and equipment or services. Avista executives have given Hession another $2,700 in personal contributions.

The utility is often a major donor in local races but always stresses that corporate contributions come from shareholders’ profits, rather than directly from ratepayers.

Hession, who is a lawyer, also has received $6,725 from donors who are attorneys, and a total of $10,000 from donors listed as chief executive officers or owners for such companies as Hollister-Stier, Wells & Co. and Ecolite Manufacturing. He also received $1,000 from James P. Cowles, who is the chairman of Inland Paper Co., a subsidiary of the same parent company as The Spokesman-Review and KHQ-TV, although neither Cowles’ occupation nor his employer are listed on the campaign reports.

State campaign disclosure laws require candidates to list the occupation and employer of all donors who give more than $100, but most campaigns fail to list that information for at least some contributors. The Hession campaign has 39 donors, who gave a total of $16,950, without that required information.

A spokeswoman for the Public Disclosure Commission said the agency is not yet tracking campaign reports for compliance but usually calls a candidate when more than 10 percent of the donors are missing key information, such as occupation and employer. About 22 percent of Hession donors who gave more than $100 are missing that information.

French, who reported collecting about $27,300 and spending nearly $18,500 through early June, picked up business support over the last two months, including a boost from construction and development interests such as Max J. Kuney, Plese-Fettig Properties and Greenstone Properties. The deadline for the latest reports came before he received a pledge of support from the city firefighters union, which on Thursday gave him $5,000, a record for the union in its many years of supporting local candidates.

Verner, who entered the race in March, is slightly behind French in total contributions at nearly $25,000, and he has spent about $21,200. She serves as executive director of Upper Columbia United Tribes and has financial backing from four of the five tribes represented on the organization’s board. Her biggest single donor is her flight instructor Bob Harless of Harless Aviation, and she has $1,000 each from former congressional candidate Don Barbieri and Sharon Smith, who are involved in developing the condominium project on the north bank of the Spokane River near the Flour Mill.

The two remaining candidates have reported no contributions so far. Michael Noder, a demolition contractor, checked a box on his PDC form saying he will not raise or spend more than $3,500. Retiree Robert Kroboth wrote on his candidate form he would accept no contributions.

A computer analysis of the contributors’ ZIP codes shows that Hession continues to receive his strongest financial support from areas south of the Spokane River, particularly the South Hill, which he represented as a councilman.

Many of Verner’s largest donors come from outside the county at this point, but among her local donors she also is raising more money in the south district that she represents.

French, who has represented the city’s northwest district on the council since 2001, is getting more campaign money from donors with north Spokane addresses.