06:39 PM PDT on Monday, July 3, 2006

By ROBERT MAK / KING 5 News

SEATTLE - Voters in east and south King County as well as Pierce County have been getting plenty of mail lately from their new congressman.

What folks in the 8th district may not realize is that they're paying for this mail.

Since the freshman republican took office just 18 months ago, he has sent 21 mass mailings, 1.5 million pieces of mail the cost to taxpayers is now more than a half-million dollars.

"These are the kinds of pieces that you would produce and mail in the last two weeks before an election," said Democratic political consultant Ron Dotzauer.

Dotzauer says it's no longer a simple report from your congressman when the flier is filled with slogans, full-color pictures, and quotes from people thanking their congressman.

"Six, eight, ten, 12 of these in an election cycle?  Then I think you've crossed over," Dotzauer said.

The difference, according to Reichert, is that "a campaign flier is paid for by the campaign."

A recent piece mailed out by Reichert was not a campaign piece, however, according to the congressman.

"This is a brochure that talks about the issues, the things we've accomplished on the back here, and this piece of mail has to go to a committee, it's a bi-partisan committee," he said.

Mailings from Congress are called frank mail and there are strict guidelines.

A member's name can be no more than a half-inch tall. There can be one picture per page of the congressman alone if other people are clearly visible. The picture can only take up 20 percent of the page.

Reichert's picture at 15 square inches occupied 19.6-percent of the page.

All perfectly legal.

In just the last six months Reichert spent more than $261,000.

Democrat Rick Larsen, also facing re-election in a swing district, spent $188,000 also on full-color, fancy fliers.

Larsen is in Iraq and not available for comment, but his office said, franking is a necessary tool.

Congressmen Democrat Adam Smith spent $75,000 on less flashy town hall notices and Republican Doc Hastings in his last report spent just $690 on frank mail.

How does Reichert justify spending half a million dollars on such mail since he's been in office?

"As you talk to members who have been in Congress for a while, some will tell you that the balance, in order to get your message out, to tell people what you're doing in congress, somewhere between $200,000 and $300,000."

Democrats recently complained that Reichert's last mailing was illegal because fell within 90 days of the upcoming primary.

But Reichert's office today furnished a postmark showing it was sent on the very last day allowed.