Yelm mayor race gets pricey

BY JENNIFER LATSON
THE OLYMPIAN

10/28/05

YELM, WA-- In a city where the average political campaign costs $1,000 at most, Steve Klein is spending close to $50,000 in his quest to become mayor.

That's unheard of in Yelm, where the mayor's job pays about $12,000.

Neither candidate has to report where contributions came from or how they're spent. The state Public Disclosure Commission does not require candidates to report contributions or expenditures for races in a jurisdiction with fewer than 5,000 voters.

Yelm has fewer than 2,000.

The candidates, retired airline sales manager Klein and contractor Harding, each has advertised in newspapers, posted campaign signs and distributed fliers.

But Klein's campaign includes extra flourishes: full-color photos on signs and ads, promotional campaign pens and, most recently, a 14-minute professional-quality DVD.

He has distributed 500 of the DVDs and posted the video on his Web site.

The differences in the campaigns are clear from their Web sites.

Harding's cost $1,000. The company that produced Klein's sleek site, the Olympia-based Helix Group, said its typical Web sites go for $3,000 to $6,000. Klein's site includes some customized features, said Josh Stottlemyer, of the Helix Group.

Klein's opposition has estimated the cost of his campaign to be close to $150,000, including the Web site, video, signs and some direct mailings to Yelm residents.

Klein, who wouldn't give exact figures -- "I think it's private, and I'd rather keep it that way," he said -- said he has spent less than $50,000.

Harding said he never meant to spend more than $1,000 -- $1,500 at most. His campaign team is pushing for the Legislature to reconsider the rules on public disclosure for small towns.

"If people really knew the dollar amounts that were spent, they would want to know why," Harding said.

Spending more than the job pays on a campaign seems outrageous to some of the town's residents.

"I would never have imagined it was anything like that," said Larry Nielsen, manager of Yelm Glass Co., and a Harding supporter. "I don't understand how you can spend $50,000 to get elected mayor of Yelm. I don't see that there's that much influence."

Both Klein and Harding said their campaigns are funded mostly by donations, not their own money.

Klein doesn't think he's spending too much on the race.

"I produced a very professional campaign," he said. "I went for quality."

Harding's side has raised questions about Klein's agenda, pointing out that the candidate is a student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, where Yelm resident JZ Knight channels a 35,000-year-old warrior spirit named Ramtha to offer students spiritual instruction.

A recent Harding advertisement asks whether the Ramtha School is the source of Klein's funding.

Knight has contributed to Klein's campaign -- a small amount, Klein says. His other supporters include students of the school as well as people who are not affiliated with Ramtha, he said.

Although the opposition wonders whether Klein will promote a Ramtha agenda in office, Klein argues the school and the mayor's office are separate pursuits.

"Why don't we ask my opponent: Can he be a member of the Lions Club, of his church, and still rule the city? Of course he can," Klein said.

"It's a hot little debate going on," said David Keenan, a fellow Ramtha student and the owner of Dreamtime signs in Yelm, where Klein had 150 to 200 signs printed. "It's really divided the town."

The Harding camp is focusing now on the clause -- not widely known, despite having been on the books since the public disclosure law was enacted in 1972 -- exempting small-town candidates from reporting to the PDC.

Small-town candidates are also exempt from the contribution limits of other public officials, such as state legislators.

Harding's supporters plan to lobby legislators, many of whom are unfamiliar with the loophole, to change the rules.

"This is why I really believe in having accounting," said Joyce Willms, a contractor with Washington Media Services, whom Harding hired to help run his campaign. "I don't care how small the city is: if you spend over $3,000 on a campaign, you have to file."

Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, said he didn't know small cities were exempt from filing, and would listen to arguments for a change.

"I'm a little hesitant to add any new reporting requirements," Swecker said. "It's hard enough to get folks to serve in low-paid or unpaid rural types of positions."

Jennifer Latson covers Thurston County and Tumwater for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or jlatson@theolympian.com.