Money Watch: Collymore Bags Biggest Contribution Yet in General Election MultCo Race

Following up on our election story this week, we note that Karol Collymore recently hauled in the largest single contribution to date in the fall race to represent North and Northeast Portland on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

Service Employees International Union Local 49 donated $5,000 to Collymore's campaign on Sept. 17. The union represents about 100 janitors who subcontract with the county, as well as employees at hospitals that contract with the county for mental-health services.

Felisa Hagins, the union's political director, says SEIU is also interested in the county race because many SEIU members rely on county services. "The county is really the last stop in the social safety net," Hagins says.

SEIU has endorsed Collymore, an aide to county Chair Jeff Cogen. But the major union representing county employees—the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—endorsed both Collymore and her opponent, Loretta Smith.

Smith, meanwhile, has received more money from trade unions due to her staunch support for the Columbia River Crossing project.

Collymore's $5,000 check from SEIU is the biggest contribution yet in the general election, and Collymore's first contribution of that size. But Smith collected two $5,000 checks during the primary campaign—one from Portland-based Leader Capital Corp. and another from a PAC run by Smith's boss, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Here's where Wyden's PAC receives most of its money.

The most recent contributions in the race leave Smith with $13,200 in the bank and Collymore with $12,000.

[Photo: Collymore (center) viewing the primary election results in May with fellow Cogen staffers Marissa Madrigal (left) and Emerald Bogue, who was Cogen's campaign manager at the time.]