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Council Members Should Blog

In this week’s In the Hall, I wrote about rumors that state Sen. Margarita Prentice (D-11) may lose her chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which handles budgetary matters, when the state legislature reconvenes after the November election. (Prentice is up for reelection, but her challenger, Democrat Juan Martinez, has raised little money and has few endorsements). In the column, I quoted Renton City Council Member Randy Corman, who first published the rumor on his blog.

On his blog, Corman wrote that senate leadership was thinking about ousting Prentice because of her ill-fated efforts to build a $500 million stadium for the Sonics in Renton; because she supports tapping the state “rainy day fund” during a tough reelection year for Governor Christine Gregoire, who supported creating the fund; and because she has supported controversial constituencies like payday lenders and casinos. Corman also accused Prentice of “threaten[ing] to cut support for colleges or children’s charities” whose board members supported her opponent. “Any citizen ought to be able to endorse whoever they like for office without feeling that [the institution they work for] is going to lose money because of their support of a candidate,” Corman says.

I talked to Corman a bit about his blog, which is interesting in large part because it’s obviously uncensored by Renton city officials—unlike, for example, city of Seattle-hosted council member blogs, which must adhere to standards written into city policy. (Whether non-city-sponsored web sites, like Council Members Tim Burgess’s and Bruce Harrell’s, must also adhere to those standards has been a matter of some controversy.)

Right now, Corman’s front page includes posts on Renton’s garbage rates (they’re going up), lousy Renton landlords, and a lawsuit he appears to be involved in—in addition to the gossip about Prentice’s future in the senate. Corman told me that the blog gives him a chance to “say the things I don’t have time to say” at city council meetings. “We want citizens to understand that we’re not rubberstamping things,” Corman said. “The blog relieved that problem.”

I don’t know enough about Renton city politics to know whether that’s just politicking or whether citizens really do use Corman’s blog as a sounding board (he does get comments), but I do know that blogging gives citizens and elected officials another avenue to communicate with each other—an avenue they didn’t previously have. Given how much local government officials talk about being “open and accountable,” it’s hard to see any justification, short of libel concerns, for meddling in what they want to say online.

Comments (21)

1

Well, you know, Erica, the first thing any *real* journalist would do is to call the Senate Majority Leader, Lisa Brown, who might have something to say about committee assignments -- you know, to at least let the person who decides these things know that this is out there.

Lisa's phone number is on the Legislature's Web site.

But if you'd rather just write another empty Prentice-bashing column, based on an unsupported rumor from a fellow Prentice-hater, and call it journalism, hey, why not?

If you were a real journalist and not just playing at one, you'd have the spine to call Prentice directly. But you're not, so you can pardon her if she ignores you.

Whether this guy, or any other elected official, blogs or does not blog is not the issue, and you know it. If he wasn't bashing Margarita, you wouldn't give a flying fuck in a rolling donut.


Posted by ivan | September 24, 2008 6:15 PM
2

Ivan,

I called Lisa. She didn't want to comment. Maybe if you were a REAL political operative instead of a blog troll (how are you faring with the 34th district membership these days, anyway?) you wouldn't make baseless accusations every time you think I'm stepping on your tiny turf.

Posted by ECB | September 24, 2008 6:20 PM
3

I didn't even know Randy had a blog. Thanks Erica!

Posted by Mike of Renton | September 24, 2008 6:51 PM
4

Well, Erica, whereas I was a professional journalist in this town before you were born and for longer than you have been alive, I think I just might be at a teensy bit higher level than "blog troll."

If you called Brown and she would not comment, then dammit, say so. Moreover, you continued to repeat this guy's rumors about Prentice even after Pridemore had told you, unequivocally, that there was no truth to them.

Thank you for asking about the 34th. We have 1,100 dues paying members, more than any LD organization in the state. We filled 85 percent of our PCO positions in the primary election, and we raised more than $30,000 at our precinct caucuses, also No. 1 in the state, to disburse to democratic candidates and to pay for organizing on the ground. So I'd say I'm just fine, thank you very much.


Posted by ivan | September 24, 2008 6:56 PM
5

Prentice is personally responsible for blocking the South Park annexation.

Posted by six shooter | September 24, 2008 7:19 PM
6

NO NO NO you are not fine Ivan - 'cause you are not Cappy Hilly cool.... as defined by political neophytes all puffed up by the obvious.

Remember how the Stranger ganged up on Jamie Petersen, at first I thought it was a joke, then I realized they had their horse in the race and it was just beating up on Jamie pure and simply.

Of course at the end of his first term, no one filed against him. He has done a very fine job in his first term. On the long term I think he can go statewide or to the national scene. His charm and talents will export nicely.

Margarita is one of the most rock solid Dems in Olympia, whatever foible crops up now and then.

By the way, in the present chaos in banking, if the little guy needs a quick 500.00 - the payday loan, etc., may be the ONLY place to get it ... sure they charge interest, so do your credit cards.

But then, all those so smart people have the right to tell me how to manage my money ... the middle class being foreclosed on in a MUCH bigger issue, foreclosures are way up in King County.

Posted by Jack | September 24, 2008 7:25 PM
7

I was a big fan of Jamie's after the session. He had high marks from many of his fellow House members for his up-front and behind-the-scenes work.

But then he put his foot in it big time when he told the Labor Council COPE endorsement committee in an interview that he did not favor the Employee Free choice Act and that he didn't have any problem with "captive meetings" during organizing drives.

He tainted himself unnecessarily and showed pretty piss poor judgment. So nobody's perfect.

Posted by ivan | September 24, 2008 8:05 PM
8

@5:

South Park annexation? WTF? South Park is already part of Seattle.

Maybe you mean the North Highline annexation. Damn right Prentice is blocking it, and good for her. The people there don't want to be Seattle's dumping ground, like Nickels wanting to put a jail there.

At the Ways and Means Committee meeting on the bill that would have given Seattle 10 times the sales tax rebate for annexation that Burien would have gotten to annex the same territory, Prentice held up pictures of potholed streets in South Park, which is in her District.

She said rightly, that Seattle wasn't maintaining the streets it already had responsibility for. She wasn't about to support a raid on the state treasury so that Nickels could annex even more territory.

She's old, and she's short, and she's squatty, and she's not "cool" or "trendy," and she has little patience for callow little twerp hipsters who call themselves "progressive" and think they know more than she does. That's really why they hate her.

Her position on payday lenders sucks, and I don't make excuses for it. But if I can work with Jamie despite his unfortunate and ill-advised anti-union tendencies, I can work with Margarita despite her position on payday lenders.

Erica can throw her petty little stink bombs and consider herself "edgy." Time will tell what it gets her.


Posted by ivan | September 24, 2008 8:21 PM
9

Hey all you Olympia insiders - I'm just somebody who doesn't have my finger on the pulse of Olympia's brain trust. Could you all give me some of your inside info.?

Why isn't Jamie Pedersen (or Ed Murray, or Sen. Haugen, or Rep. Brown) weighing in on ST's new ballot measure? It's got monu-fucking-mental implications for everything the legislature will be able to do transportation-wise for the next decade or so.

What is the scuttlebutt about ST2 Redux? We plebes really appreciate your input on this, ivan, and everyone else professing to know what the Oly politicos value (and not)!

Posted by just curious | September 24, 2008 8:22 PM
10

@9:

Haha, Ed Murray hasn't called to brief me yet. But it's a good question, and I'd like some answers myself.

We'll be meeting with House Transportation Chair Judy Clibborn Sunday and will see what she says.

I agree, legislators who favor Prop. 1 *should* be out front on it.

Posted by ivan | September 24, 2008 8:26 PM
11

So you are a Dem. precinct-level big shot in what ST calls the "South King Subarea," right ivan?

Why should anyone in that subarea vote to impose HUGE sales taxes on themselves and their neighbors for decades, to be spent mostly on train line work out into suburbs from the Chinatown station? I mean, you must have thought it through, right? You can't see any upside to it for you (from a personal mobility standpoint), so given many of your neighbors have far less wealth than you do, could you in good conscience (sp?) advise them to vote yes?

Obviously lots of local Dem. Party types back it (Constantine is an author, for God's sake) but that aside, doesn't it seem like a lousy deal, at least from the perspective of that "South King Subarea" construct ST uses?

Posted by just curious | September 24, 2008 8:44 PM
12

@ 11:

I mnight hazard an answer if I could get a clue from what you had written just what the fuck you were talking about.

Posted by ivan | September 24, 2008 10:20 PM
13

@11:

Just because it doesn't benefit you personally doesn't mean you shouldn't support it. Attitudes like yours are the reason why we won't get as much bang for our transportation buck as we would have if we'd voted for light rail back in the 70s. Regardless, we should vote for its expansion now. If I were ever planning to have kids, they'd thank me for it in 20 years.

Posted by Will in 98103 | September 24, 2008 10:46 PM
14

"Martinez has received endorsements and financial support from a number of individuals in his district."

Um, duh. He's running for office. Is there any serious candidate for office about whom this is NOT true? And couldn't you say the exact same thing twice as much about Prentice?

Posted by lorax | September 24, 2008 10:50 PM
15

"Martinez has received endorsements and financial support from a number of individuals in his district."

Um, duh. He's running for office. Is there any serious candidate for office about whom this is NOT true? And couldn't you say the exact same thing twice as much about Prentice?

Posted by lorax | September 24, 2008 10:51 PM
16

Prentice is blocking any annexation area in her district that contains a mini-casino. She has received considerable financial assistance from them. If they were to be annexed into Seattle they would have to close. It is really as simple as that.

Posted by TJ | September 25, 2008 8:48 AM
17

@ 16:

It's not "as simple as that" because there are many, many other considerations at play in any potential annexation, such as police, fire, water, sewer, and other basic, essential services that are lower-profile than casinos.

In the case of North Highline, water and sewer rates would skyrocket if Seattle annexed, and would remain the same if Burien annexed. Business and occupation taxes would skyrocket if Seattle annexed. Burien is a better deal, B&O tax-wise, for small businesses in the area, many of which are sole proprietorships, owned by minorities or immigrants.

Prentice indeed is looking out for the casinos -- it's hardly a secret -- and so what? Should they just roll over and accept their fate? They are there because, uh, people use them. They provide family wage jobs for residents of the affected areas.

And -- wait for it -- they are Prentice's constituents -- at least Rascals is in her District -- and she is paid to represent them. What a concept!

Posted by ivan | September 25, 2008 10:30 AM
18

If these casino islands were to be annexed they would actually get half way decent services from the city rather than being ignored by the county - which I don't know if you are aware has a major financial crisis on their hands and are planning on significnt public safety cuts. Urban areas are suppose to be incorporated per GMA. And it is as simple as that.

Posted by TJ | September 25, 2008 11:34 AM
19

@ 18:

I am fully aware that unincorporated areas must be annexed, and I never said anything to the contrary. The question is which city is to annex them?

In the case of North Highline, the options are two: Seattle or Burien. In my mind, Burien is the better option -- and really, the only option. There is no, repeat no, desire on the part of Seattle City Council to approve this annexation.

Plus, I will make the bold prediction that the majority of North Highline residents will vote to go to Burien, now that the Nickels admnistration has been so politically tone deaf as to try to plunk a jail on their doorstep.

Once that vote is taken, Burien is required by law to annex North Highline, which would then become 50 percent of Burien by population and hold a lot more power over the purse than it ever could as 5 percent of Seattle.

Burien's First Avenue South corridor is shockingly underdeveloped, and so is North Highline's. The potential for revenue-producing development there could supply the cash for all the social services Seattle is holding out as an inducement for NH to go to Seattle.

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20

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