Jim Compton Replacement: Update
Candidates who are seriously considering applying to fill the seat Jim Compton is vacating on the City Council, as of this afternoon, include:
Mayoral staffer Tim Durkan (who confirmed he’s thinking about it outside City Hall this morning)
2003 and 2005 council candidate Angel Bolanos (who finished fourth against Jan Drago)
Former Greater Seattle Business Association president Michael Ford (who considered running against Nick Licata in 2005 but backed down)
Executive search firm partner Norman Sigler
Office of Police Accountability Review Board chair Peter Holmes (who’s clashed with City Attorney Tom Carr over whether the city should indemnify OPARB members from officer lawsuits)
Activist Juan Jose Bocanegra
Former city employee and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board member Javier Valdez (who’s already received endorsements from Seattle state Sens. Ken Jacobsen and Margarita Prentice and state auditor Brian Sonntag).
Greenwood Community Council president and Sierra Club activist Mike McGinn (who had former council member Heidi Wills calling council offices on his behalf this week.)
Those who definitely aren’t running, in addition to 2005 council candidate Dwight Pelz, include Wills, environmental activist Charlie Cunniff, and council central staff director Saroja Reddy, who just announced she is resigning her position after 12 years on central staff to take a job researching early childhood learning for the Gates Foundation. (More about Saroja in a separate post.)
Boca (Juan Jose Bocanegra) is being endorsed (so far) by house rep Sharon Tomiko Santos, Bob Santos, the President of SEIU, Sergio Salinas, Leno Avila the exec director of NWIRP, envioremental activist Yolanda Sinde, Homeless activist Joe Martin, Latino activist and King county goverment employee Mauricio Martinez, DESC director Bill Hobson, Labor activist Bob Barnes, Beverly Sims, gay and labor activist Sarah Luthen, former vision Seattle members, as well as many other progressive individuals around the city.
Juan has been around for a long time, and has been active on labor issues; knows the city (and its politics) well,and has a proven track record as a pragmatic progressive, and is well known to most council members. Juan is a needed progressive voice in the council. It would be cool to add him, and get a progressive council that can get things done and set an agenda that includes all of the residents of this city.