I'm spending the next few weeks meeting with the candidates for the three Port of Tacoma commission seats that are up for election this fall.

Candidate Conversations provides some highlights from these informal interviews and justifies me expensing a cup of coffee.

This morning I met with Cathy Pearsall-Stipek, the former Pierce County Auditor who is running for commission position #4. That seat is being vacated by retiring commissioner Ted Bottiger.

Pearsall-Stipek, 77, is running against Don Meyer, who is the director of the Foss Waterway Development Authority.

We had coffee in Pearsall-Stipek's pool house, which is where she keeps her office. Here's a few excerpts from our conversation.

Pearsall-Stipek has opted not to raise or spend more than $5,000 for her campaign -- a move that reduces the amount of reports she needs to file with the state's public disclosure commission.

That means you likely won't see mailings, ads or a swarm of Pearsall-Stipek signs posted all over the county.

I asked why she's running such a low-key campaign.

Pearsall-Stipek said she's counting on voters to recognize her name from the 10 years (1993 to 2002) she spent as auditor.

(Her name was printed on everything from marriage certificates to property records and people remember that, she said).

"I feel that I've been in front of people for over 30 years," she said. "Those that know me know what I do and new people will be able to read about me in the voters' pamphlet."

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As Union Bank releases news of its new brand, J.D. Power and Associates has come out with a look at what attracts clients to the banks they love.

It's the brand image.

"Thirty-six percent of a shopper's selection decision is driven by the bank's brand image, while branch proximity (21 percent) and products and services (14 percent) also considerably influence which bank shoppers ultimately choose," the Power report – issued last week – said.

And while such things as perceived financial stability and reliability "can be difficult for a bank to improve," still, "branch employees can positively impact a bank's image by providing personal service, communicating proactively and having a customer-driven focus."

Concerning the importance of word-of-mouth, the report said "positive recommendations drive 36 percent of a shopper's consideration."

J.D. Power and Associates is is a California-based global marketing information service company.

After changing its name last December – from Union Bank of California N.A. to more simple and global Union Bank N.A. – the parent company UnionBanCal today announced a new corporate identity and logo.

"Today marks a significant milestone in our bank's history, and I am confident that our customers and employees will embrace this exciting change," said Union Bank President and CEO Masaaki Tanaka.

The new logo embraces a stylized "U" that "is focused on the community and 'You, the customer,'" Tanaka said in a release today.

"While we have had a three-state charter – California, Oregon and Washington – for more than 100 years, we also have offices in several major U.S. and international markets where we've been expanding our footprint in commercial real estate, energy and utilities lending, and commercial banking," he said.

The new brand, he said, "will better position us for future growth."

At last check, Union Bank, which trades under the symbol MTU, was selling at $5.85 per share, up 11 cents on the day. The stock is trading down 5.8 percent year-to-date.

UPDATE: There has been some confusion (on my part) on exactly where and by which ticker the bank trades. I've heard today from a Union Bank spokeswoman that "Union Bank doesn’t trade under MTU – UnionBanCal Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

Which trades on the NYSE as MTU.

I hope that clears up any misunderstanding.