Our McClatchy Newspapers colleague Brad Shannon in Olympia reports that Barack Obama supporters hope to raise $100,000 in a one-day fundraising binge Sunday in Olympia.

Here's an excerpt from his story:

That would more than double the $77,317 that Obama has raised from Olympia as of Sept. 2 — and dwarf the $39,401 that Republican nominee John McCain has collected locally.

The money raised Sunday would be used in swing states, such as Ohio, where Obama faces a tight race against McCain.

“We’re calling it ‘Thurston County is the Well,’” said Stewart Henderson, a blogger and delegate at the Democratic National Convention who is teaming up with other activists in Olympia. “Our resources aren’t needed so much here, but the resources are needed in the 18 swing states. … We’re the well that’s going to bring water to turn those red states blue.”

Sunday’s Obama event is set for 4 to 8 p.m. at the Olympian Ballroom, upstairs at the former hotel. It is open to the public. It includes an art auction, and 50 to 100 people will organize food, music and an auction of local artwork at prices of up to $1,000. Donors are being recruited by e-mail and text message, and the group’s Web site said Tuesday. The group said Tuesday that it already had $7,360 from 34 early donors.

McCain’s forces, meanwhile, plan a $1,000-per-person fundraiser today in Hunts Point, near Bellevue. Former secretary of state Ralph Munro, a major McCain backer from Olympia, predicted that the candidate’s wife, Cindy, will bring in “several hundred thousand dollars” at the sold-out event.

Pierce County Executive and former Sound Transit chairman John Ladenburg and executive-wannabe Mike Lonergan apparently share Sept. 19 as a birth date.

Lakewood Councilwoman Claudia Thomas, Sound Transit board member, had a birthday on Sept. 20.

Sound Transit CEO (or whatever her title is) Joni Earl celebrated her birthday on the Sept. 22.

Apparently, they all learned this when they were at the Lakewood Sounder station grand opening party on Saturday.

This just in.....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Online Voters’ Guide now available for General Election

OLYMPIA…The state’s Online Voters’ Guide for the November 4 General Election has been launched and is now available, Secretary of State Sam Reed announced today.

“The Online Voters’ Guide is another helpful and convenient tool for voters to use as they study the candidates and issues and fill out their ballot this fall,” Reed said. “It’s easy to access and provides plenty of useful information.”

=> Read more!

Our McClatchy newspapers colleague Chris Mulick of the Tri-City Herald reported today that the state is investigating how the state GOP (that's Republican Party for you uninformed folk) paid for mailers promoting Dino Rossi's campaign for governor.

Here is the story:

=> Read more!

It’s just one position out of 71 County Executive John Ladenburg proposes to eliminate in 2009, but expect the County Council to put up a fight over cutting one of the county’s three performance auditors.

The performance audit staff works for the council and has tackled such topics as Superior Court caseloads and the effectiveness of the Prometa drug treatment program.

Though most of the positions the executive proposes to cut are vacant, there is no vacant performance audit position. Ladenburg said he expects no layoffs, adding that some staff cuts would be handled through attrition or transfers to other departments.

Judging from early comments on Ladenburg’s budget, cutting the performance audit staff won’t fly with the council.

Councilman Tim Farrell, D-Tacoma, said the performance audit staff more than justifies its pay.

“Those guys actually have helped us save money and target resources better,” Farrell said. “We can’t afford to lose these guys.”

Councilman Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, was more direct. “That won’t happen,” he said of the proposed performance audit staff cut.

Last year Ladenburg accused the council of playing politics with the Prometa audit and ordering a negative audit. The executive proposed having the auditors report to the county’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs instead of the council. That didn’t happen.

David Ammons from Secretary of State Sam Reed's office sends an update on the shenanigans between the Dino Rossi and Chris Gregoire camps on the whole party preference issue.

It confirms Friday's hearing in King County Superior Court, and lays out a number of other labels that candidates chose for themselves.

For background, keep reading down to the previous postings.

MEMO: From state Elections Director Nick Handy, “King County Superior Court Judge Richard Eadie presided over an attorney conference this morning, and has set this case for hearing for Friday at 9 a.m. in Seattle in the King County Superior Court. We are expecting Judge Eadie to preside over the hearing.”

Democratic attorneys have filed a lawsuit seeking to force the state to halt the printing and use of General Election ballots that use “GOP” as gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi’s party preference. The state asserts that the voter-approved Top 2 Primary law and regulations made it clear that designation of a party preference is the candidate’s decision. The primary, first conducted in August after a 7-2 opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way, is not a nominating process that necessarily produces a traditional Republican versus Democratic matchup in the General Election, as in the past. Rather, the primary allows candidates to self-describe their affiliation preference and then lets voters collectively choose the two most popular candidates for the General Election.

Also, a quick check of Election Division records showed this breakout of General Election finalists who have other than a Republican or Democratic preference listed:

GOP.....................25
Grand Old Party.........1
Progressive Dem Party...1
R Party.................1
Green Party.............1
Independent Party.......1
Libertarian Party.......1

That's what I heard on KOMO radio on my way to work this morning.

We have a story in today's paper on B-2 about Democrats filing suit to make Dino Rossi label himself a "Republican" on the ballot. It was actually a pretty clever move by Rossi, notwithstanding the redundancy of "Grand Old Party Party." Remember, Chris Gregoire won by only 129 133 votes last time.

Maybe grammarians on The News Tribune's copy desk will intervene in the lawsuit and make Rossi change his label to GOPP.

Here's the Secretary of State Sam Reed's take on all this (from last night's news release):

“Our view is that the new Top 2 Primary system clearly allows candidates to express their preference for any party, or to designate no preference at all, using up to 16 characters,” Reed said. “Some candidates used the ‘prefers GOP’ designation, while others used ‘prefers Republican.’"

UPDATE: Nathe Lawver, chairman of the Pierce County Democrats, re-sent an e-mail that he sent a few months back.

In the past two Federal elections there has been no GOP 'party.' There isn't even a mention of GOP in the Republican Party Platform. This blatant attempt for Republicans to turn their backs on their rightful party name is just an attempt for them to hide from their radical platform.

After the MORE jump are the full SecState news release and Lawver's e-mail:

=> Read more!

The Pierce County Council has scheduled a series of public meetings to discuss County Executive John Ladenburg’s proposed 2009 county budget.

Ladenburg unveiled the $852 million spending plan Tuesday. But the council will have the final word.

In announcing the public meetings, council Chairman Terry Lee echoed Ladenburg is saying public safety is the top priority. The Sheriff’s Department, courts and other public safety spending accounts for 76 percent of the proposed general fund budget.

“The current economic climate means there are no easy budget decisions this year,” Lee said. “However, compromising our county’s ability to perform its primary missions – public safety and criminal justice – isn’t an option.

Here’s the County Council budget meeting schedule:

• Budget retreats on Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28, from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

• Committee of the Whole hearings on Nov. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 and 24, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4 p.m.

• Final action scheduled for the Nov. 25 council meeting, 3 p.m.

All sessions will be in the Council Chambers on the 10th floor of the County-City Building (930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 1045) in Tacoma. For more on the proposed 2009 budget, you can download Ladenburg’s budget summary here.