Last August we cited Bush's habit of spending public money without granting public access while on the fund raising trail. Here's the latest from Hunts Point, Washington:

HUNTS POINT - Officials in this small town have received a check toward the cost of 100 police officers who protected President Bush during his 96-minute fund-raising visit in August.

Mercer Island's Dr. Tom Gumprecht, an ear, nose and throat doctor practicing in Redmond, wrote a check for $300 to put a dent in the $23,634.25 in costs.

Officials still hope cell phone billionaire Craig McCaw, the host of the $2,000-a-person visit, and his connections might reimburse the town.

The Bush-Cheney re-election campaign raised $1.7 million at the McCaw event.

Gumprecht, a lifelong Republican, said he wrote the check in the spirit of good manners, like helping clear and clean dishes after being a dinner guest. He said he was able to see and hear the president at a close distance, take a photograph and shake his hand.

[. . .]

"We really appreciate a civic-minded soul like that,'' said Hunts Point Town Administrator Jack McKenzie. "We sent him a nice letter of appreciation.''

But the quest for reimbursement isn't over, and has drawn national attention.

McKenzie said he got a call from Lexington, Ky., asking how to recoup security costs after a presidential visit for a gubernatorial candidate left that city with a $14,000 bill.

"I had to disappoint them,'' McKenzie said. "I didn't have an answer for them.''

While Hunts Point officials still hold out hope that McCaw's connections will produce some cash, McKenzie said the city wrote a check for $21,634.19 to Medina to cover Redmond, Kirkland, Mercer Island and Medina police overtime, a tow truck, port-a-potties, food, water and coffee. Clyde Hill public works and police overtime have yet to be paid.

The money came out of the town's $600,000 general government budgets for office supplies and facility maintenance, among other things, McKenzie said.

"I have a lot of confidence the McCaws will put a lot of effort into doing something about it,'' McKenzie said. (via the King County Journal)