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Friday, June 16, 2006

Sally Clark Update

Posted by on June 16 at 17:29 PM

Sally Clark, incumbent of less than five months in Seattle City Council position 9 (Jim Compton’s former seat) has raised nearly $30,000 toward her reelection campaign so far, and three June events (including fundraisers sponsored by 43rd District Rep. Ed Murray, City Council members Jan Drago and Richard Conlin, and local powerhouse consultant Christian Sinderman) are not yet reflected in Clark’s fundraising totals. (Her birthday party/fundraiser will be sponsored in part by one of the contenders for the appointment that ultimately went to Clark, Columbia City activist/realtor Darryl Smith.)

What political observers are starting to wonder is: How come no one is running against Clark? With less than a year under her belt, you might expect her to be the most politically vulnerable member of the council. (Regular council elections, in which Clark will also have to participate if she’s reelected, are in 2007.) However, none of the candidates who sought appointment to Compton’s seat earlier this year have expressed an interest publicly in running, and many of the top few contenders, all of them minority women, are widely viewed as stronger candidates for appointment than election. Clark has also shown herself to be a thoughtful, hardworking council member with a disarming sense of humor and an ability to ask tough, smart questions. Unless someone steps up with a strong record in local politics, money, and powerful friends on the council or elsewhere, Clark may have the council’s safest seat.


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Sally is one of the best council members Seattle has seen in along time. It would take a fool to run against someone who not only has the experience Sally has, but the real vision for where Seattle should be headed.

This city is ripe for someone to promote a campaign to reduce city property and other taxes. I was quite surprised Core didn't have the foresight to understand this and latch on to the topic in the last election...Clark and others up or re-election are vulnerable. There are a lot of elderly folks north of the Ship Canal financially struggling and their vote decides elections in this town. Hipsters who read the Stranger Slog don't. Somebody who understands this could cause some havoc.

---Jensen

Someone do something --- sorry Jensen, not a formula to win a coucnil seat against a major player like Sally. And her political career on the counil, in this city and state, is just beginning.

Talent, brains, experience, and a younger woman in a city tht values women in politics.

No only will she win, big time, she will keep on winning.

Say --- Gov. Clark - Congressperson Clark - County Ex. Clark --- she is a winner, with a loing and exciting career out in front.

I remember that she did not make the Stranger short list - seems you re thinking, since you are not doing hit pieces on her as was expected by some of us.

Sally Clark, for all of her virtues, is shaping up to be yet another corporate-friendly cookie-cutter Councilmember.

Licata and Steinbrueck still have stronger personal followings and safer seats.

JAKE Wrote:
"Someone do something --- sorry Jensen, not a formula to win a coucnil seat..."

Sorry Jake, but you are completely out of touch with what you neighbors are concerned about.

Gogerty and Stark are correct...Clark is turning into Jim Compton-like council member.

--Jensen

sally is exactly what the city council needs-- someone with the experience of working at the ground level to shape up our city. clark has an impressive resume of non-profit work, which has given her the credentials for her work in improving and maintaining human services in this city.

she also has a long history of helping neighbors become their own best advocates for change in their communities, as a citizen activist and as a former official with the dept of neighborhoods.

sally has my vote and she deserves your support, too.

Sally is doing a wonderful job for all of the reasons Erica and others here have listed. Quite frankly I think she might be the smartest in the whole bunch and a hell of a lot easier to work with than people like say, Peter Steinbrueck who you can't really trust from one day to the next.

Sally thinks before she speaks and asks good, hard questions. She is great on deciphering the technical details and understanding how to work with others, the community and stakeholder.

I think she has shown a tremendous potential to be a great City Councilmember. I would place her as one of the best there and she has only been there a short time. Go Sally!

I also thinks its great to have a Gen X'er there with all the 50 and 60 something’s.

I had the opportunity to meet her the other day, and speak with her a bit. I have to say, I was rather impressed. Bright lady, no BS facade like so many politicians have.

By the way, the "ability to ask tough, smart questions" isn't much of a virtue if you still cave at the end of the day...

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