These hard economic times have forced a finger-to-the-wind mayor, running for re-election, to order up a City Hall salary freeze just three months after asking for a round of raises. But there’s no pretense of a soup line outside Greg Nickels’ re-election campaign office. While the rest of a meager field is still getting its pants on, he’s out there in full stride, halfway to the record $600,000 contributions the two-termer raised in his initial, 2001, run. Over $33,000 rolled in last month alone, including one Saturday night fundraiser that gushed $18,000. As of Feb. 28, he has raised $299,081.40, putting him ahead of his 2005 re-election pace that ultimately brought in $500,000.The mayor, his spending priorities in full bloom, has doled out 43 percent of his campaign expenditures ($107,000) to raise more funds, according to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. About one quarter of the contributions, $80,0000, come from out-of-towners. By contrast, executive headhunter Norm Sigler, who announced his mayoral bid in February, and ex-Sonic James Donaldson, whose exploratory campaign signed up last week, have yet to report any contributions. With a smattering of city council members testing the mayoral waters recently, then quickly jumping out, a third Nickels term seems unpreventable.