Candidates begin the dash for cash

Yakima, Wash. -- Yakima City Councilman Micah Cawley has raised three times more money than challenger Mary Place, and so far, their race has raised more than the other three City Council races.

Through Thursday, Cawley had raised $12,441, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Place, who is a former Yakima mayor, had raised $3,912 through the same period.

The $16,353 the two have raised in their race for Council Position 6 is $7,333 more than the other nine candidates in the other three races have raised combined, according to the PDC.

"You've got to get your message out to the people somehow," said Cawley, a local radio personality. "And it takes money."

Place, who initially registered for the PDC's mini-reporting option, which caps fundraising at $5,000, said at the campaign's outset that she didn't want to ask donors for much because of the slow economy.

"But it looks like I'm going to have to," she said, having changed her mind after Cawley got out to the fundraising lead.

Aside from the Cawley-Place race, the only council candidate with a notable fundraising total so far is Councilwoman Maureen Adkison, who is facing former Yakima mayor Paul George in her race to retain Position 1. As of Thursday, Adkison had reported $8,560 in contributions.

"I hope it means that people have a lot of confidence in me and want to give me more than three months (in office)," she said.

An April appointee to the council, Adkison is an experienced political player whose resume includes co-chairing successful campaigns for state Sen. Curtis King and state Rep. Norm Johnson, both Yakima Republicans. Both King and Johnson are listed among her donors, as are Yakima County Commissioner Kevin Bouchey and former state Sen. Alex Deccio.

George, who has not reported any donations yet to the PDC, said he's raised less than $400 so far. Like Adkison, however, George is an experienced political player, having served as chairman of the county Democratic Party. He said Thursday he knew going in that he couldn't match Adkison dollar for dollar.

The best way to overcome that is to work hard as a campaigner, he said.

"She's going to bury me financially," George said. "I know that for a fact."

* Pat Muir can be reached at 509-577-7693 or pmuir@yakimaherald.com.

Yakima City Council campaign fundraising as of Thursday

Position 1: Maureen Adkison (i), $8,560; Paul George, $0

Position 5: Sonia Rodriguez (i), $0; Dave Ettl, $0; Sharon Madson, $0

Position 6: Micah Cawley (i), $12,441; Mary Place, $3,912

Position 7: Bill Lover (i), $315; T.J. Davis, $145; Ben Soria, $0; Mitchell Smith, $0

(i) - incumbent

source: Washington state Public Disclosure Commission