Port Commission: Davis, Molloy get to defend seats

No clear leaders had emerged Tuesday night for the open seat on the Seattle Port Commission, while Commissioner Lawrence Molloy trailed challenger John Creighton, who he'll face in a November run-off.

In the other contested seat, Commissioner Patricia Davis appeared likely to advance to the November general election.

In what has shaped up to be a commission-wide battle between candidates backed by labor and those backed by business, the non-partisan port races have drawn unusual interest this year -- a dozen candidates in all.

The top two finishers for three seats will continue on to the November election.

In the Position 1 seat, Molloy and John Creighton emerged as early leaders, with the challenger way out in front.

Molloy left a tongue-in-cheek message on his answering machine Tuesday saying he was out, "voting for myself." Creighton, an attorney, has raised $111,512 thus far, with many donations from law firms and developers.

Of the $51,114 Molloy has raised, many of the contributions came from area labor groups.

Creighton was out on the campaign trail during the day and by evening had settled into an election-night party at a Belltown restaurant with supporters. He said the early returns not only looked great but also served as a validation.

"It's good. First-time candidate that I am, I think it's a good showing. The voters want change."

Wen Wu Lee, a Northwest Airlines flight attendant, was running third in early returns. The state records showed no donations for Lee.

The race for the Position 3 seat pits a former county auditor against a former cop against a current shipping industry employee. Lloyd Hara and Richard Berkowitz were early leaders, with Christopher Cain making a surprising showing at third and Peter Coates in fourth.

Hara, a former King County auditor, raised $54,481 for his campaign. He has touted his experience with numbers and has called for an annual performance audit for the commission, which runs both the seaport and Sea-Tac International Airport.

He said he was pleased with the early returns.

"As long as we're into the finals, that's what this is all about," Hara said Tuesday night. "I've been advocating taxpayer interest instead of special interests."

Berkowitz, who works for a maritime industry association, has raised $86,020, with plenty of backing from the shipping industry. Berkowitz has said the seaport has drifted from its core responsibility, the shipping industry.

Coates, a former cop who now is the secretary for the Building Trades Council, has received heavy backing from labor, with $65,088 in campaign donations. He said he didn't spend Tuesday campaigning, but instead worked on the Building Trades Council halftime show scheduled for Sunday's Seahawks game.

"The campaign is over as far as the primary goes," Coates said while waiting for results that will tell him how over it is. "The voters will tell us what they think of our campaign."

Cain, publisher of the Port Observer, had raised $4,650. The other Position 3 candidate, John Kane, showed $12,175 in donations.

The Position 4 seat, with four candidates, is expected to come down to a November showdown between Davis, a longtime commissioner, and Jack Jolley. By midevening, Davis was leading by a wide margin.