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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Contribution(s) of the Day

News   June 30, 2009 at 5:55 pm Erica C. Barnett

From the latest campaign filings:

The receipts are in from city council Position 8 candidate Jordan Royer’s June 23 fundraiser—it was held on a yacht owned by cargo terminal management company SSA Marine (I wrote about here).

Photo by Flickr user Rockies

Photo by Flickr user Rockies

From the looks of the disclosure reports, Royer’s guest list included a number of high-powered lobbyists for the shipping industry, which Royer currently represents.

On the boat with Royer:

• William Patrick Jones of the Washington Public Ports Association, a port lobby group ($100)

• Randy Roy of the Aequus Corporation, which lobbies on behalf of shipping companies including Royer’s employer, the Pacific Merchants Shipping Association;

• Rich Berkowitz, a onetime Port of Seattle candidate who runs the Transportation Institute, a shipping industry lobby group ($100)

• Representatives from the Alaska Crab Coalition, which lobbies on behalf of the crabbing industry ($150)


  • Dan

    Is $100 really that big of deal? Even I can afford that. Not being snarky, just a question.

  • notme

    Just an FYI, Randy Roy should be Randy RAY, longtime Oly lobbyist.

  • notme

    Just an FYI, Randy Roy should be Randy RAY, longtime Oly lobbyist.

  • olywatch

    Sloppy Erica. Pat Jones isn’t working for the Washington Public Ports Association and Randy Ray isn’t working for Pacific Merchant Shipping Association anymore (check PDC filings via their website).

  • olywatch

    Sloppy Erica. Pat Jones isn’t working for the Washington Public Ports Association and Randy Ray isn’t working for Pacific Merchant Shipping Association anymore (check PDC filings via their website).

  • swatter

    Until the contributions get to the $500 mark, I don’t pay attention.

    I bundled a series of $99 contributions totalling up to $1200 or so and did it so it avoided the PDC filings. It was for a small town mayor’s race.

    When you go out ‘pimping’ it is easy to get $50 or $100 from people you know just for going out and talking to them. I see nothing unusual here.

  • swatter

    Until the contributions get to the $500 mark, I don’t pay attention.

    I bundled a series of $99 contributions totalling up to $1200 or so and did it so it avoided the PDC filings. It was for a small town mayor’s race.

    When you go out ‘pimping’ it is easy to get $50 or $100 from people you know just for going out and talking to them. I see nothing unusual here.

  • J.R.

    Yeah, these aren’t terribly impressive numbers.

  • J.R.

    Yeah, these aren’t terribly impressive numbers.

  • http://twitter.com/fattailed Fat-tailed

    If a candidate can be purchased $100 at a time, our political culture here is more pathetic than I feared. At least give me high-stakes corruption!

  • http://twitter.com/fattailed Fat-tailed

    If a candidate can be purchased $100 at a time, our political culture here is more pathetic than I feared. At least give me high-stakes corruption!

  • http://www.publicola.net/ ECB

    @3: I got that info from the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission filings, which are taken from what the candidates themselves report. I assumed the campaign reported contributors’ occupations accurately.

  • http://www.publicola.net ECB

    @3: I got that info from the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission filings, which are taken from what the candidates themselves report. I assumed the campaign reported contributors’ occupations accurately.

  • J.R.

    @7: The point is that you seem to be arguing that Royer is the pocket of the shipping industry. On the other hand, these modest donations of $100 and $150 are more on the scale of (affluent) people giving polite support to a co-worker who happens to be running for office.

  • J.R.

    @7: The point is that you seem to be arguing that Royer is the pocket of the shipping industry. On the other hand, these modest donations of $100 and $150 are more on the scale of (affluent) people giving polite support to a co-worker who happens to be running for office.

  • J.R.

    make that “in the pocket of the shipping industry”

  • J.R.

    make that “in the pocket of the shipping industry”

  • Dan

    Is $100 really that big of deal? Even I can afford that. Not being snarky, just a question.