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Friday, October 10, 2008

What Does This Man...

posted by on October 10 at 2:22 PM

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... Want to do with your tax dollars?

Find out on Slog, where we'll be posting exclusive video of the Stranger Election Control Board's interview on I-985, Tim Eyman's latest initiative.


Thursday, July 31, 2008

She Don't Need No Stinkin' ID

posted by on July 31 at 3:20 PM

The governor sits down for her Stranger Election Control Board interview...

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Think that's cool? Dino Rossi did some blow with us when he came in for his interview.


Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Dan Satterberg Exit Interview

posted by on November 7 at 12:23 AM

Lindy here.

The Satterberg party was still rocking out HARD when we left. Nothing much interesting happened in the second half of the night, except that Susannah Frame wouldn't tell me who she voted for, and a bunch of young Republicans wouldn't tell me anything at all (in all sarcasm, they admitted that they "love immigrants" and "love abortion" HA HA!). We made fun of their sweater vests and they asked us if we went to community college. Check and mate, young Republicans!

On our way to the door, we ran into Satterberg and his shiny shirt in the crowd. (Kismet!) This was an excellent opportunity to address his earlier claim that he didn't remember the 2000 election, which, whether or not it was relevant, was definitely annoying.

SECB: "So did the GOP money help your campaign?"
DS: "We got a lot of support from a lot of different people."
SECB: "But specifically the money from the GOP?"
DS: "Yes, I think it helped, but [blah blah blah every little bit counts]"
SECB: "So, now that this election's winding down, do you remember who you voted for in 2000?"
DS: "Honestly, it's hazy."
SECB: "Well, it was a pretty memorable election."
DS: "I remember that I voted for Anderson in 1980."
SECB: "Any chance you remember who you voted for in 2000?"
DS: "I wasn't really involved in politics until my name was on the ballot. I wasn't affiliated with any party until I ran."
SECB: "So until 2007 you had no interest in politics?"
DS: "I don't understand the point of these questions."
SECB: "I just think it's weird that a politician doesn't remember voting in what was maybe the most memorable election in recent history. I mean, when the Supreme Court handed the election to Bush were you like, 'Yeah!' or were you like, 'Aww'?"
DS: "I just wanted it to be fair because people lost trust in the system."
SECB: "Was it fair?"
DS: "I don't understand why you're asking me about this."

In conclusion, I would just like to say:



Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Party Crasher Report: Part Three

posted by on November 6 at 11:51 PM

After Velazquez's party, on her advice, I decided to hail a cab to Capitol Hill to Piecora's where the Sierra Club was hosting a "No on Roads/Transit" party. The cabbie I got had one of the most depressing greetings I've ever heard:
"How are you?" he asked me.
"I'm good," I said.
"You're all right?" he asked, "You sure? Even though the dollar is collapsing?"
I assured him that I was fine. I asked him if he voted. He did, although he had a lot to say about Seattle's absentee-voter-happy system. "It's evil and corrupt," he said. "People have to vote in person," he said, "That's the only way it counts. And not on a computer, either. The computer voting is most evil of all."
I agreed with that.
In agreement, we sped toward Piecora's, and I attended the no on RTID party. There was beer and pizza and a lot of people were very happy. A whole bunch of cheery young people were posing for a photo op. They seemed to be dressed in white bear hats--maybe they were polar bears who were happy that roads weren't going to be built in Seattle?--and a bunch of people took pictures of them and the whole moment was very artificial and staged and gross. I bet you'll see the picture in a newspaper tomorrow.
And that's it. Since I hadn't posted anything all night, I started posting. And now I'm done.
I just hit up American Gangster for one more opinion and this is what Jay-Z had to say:
"I know I should've did that/I know it's gonna come right back/I know it's gonna destroy everything I made/It's probably gonna get ya boy/Sent away/But this game I play ain't no/Way to fix it it's inevitable/That I'm fallin'."
Did I mention that this album is genius?

Party Crasher Report: Part Two

posted by on November 6 at 11:35 PM

By the time I made it to Venus Velazquez's party, the first drop had happened, and things looked dour. Her forces had amassed at Jasmine, a sushi bar that had recently taken over the site once inhabited by a charming Red Robin, and things were looking bleak. Venus was there sipping from a pint glass of delicious-looking ice water. Venus wasn't talking to reporters--a member of her staff assailed me and said "Venus isn't talking to anyone," settling the matter before I could even bring it up--and so that left me to find the bathroom.

As I approached the stairs leading to the bathroom, a woman nearly fell into my arms. She was very drunk, and she was staggering down the stairs. "Easy," I said to her, not very helpfully. "Tee-hee!" she said, and then, she added, also not very helpfully, "Whoa."
In the bathroom again, I consulted Jay-Z. "Say hello to the bad guy/They say I'm a bad guy/I come from the bottom/But I'm mad fly/They say I'm a menace/That's the picture they paint/They say a lot about me/Let me tell you what I ain't," Jay-Z said.
I went back out into the bar and chatted with a very nice employee of Friends of the Library who was about to leave the bar and attend Bruce Harrell's party, which was no doubt a little more lively. Velazquez gave a not-concession speech that sounded very suspiciously like a concession speech.

"It's been good," she said. She added that the political process "has been remarkable to my soul." The Friends of the Library lady left in the middle of the speech. An employee of the bar tapped me on the shoulder.
"Is it true," she asked me, "That this is the one who got the DUI?"
I nodded.

She broke down in giggles. "That's great!"

Venus, too, acknowledged the DUI at the end of her speech when she said, "So, eat, drink and be merry, and there are cabs for everybody who needs one!"

That seemed like as good a time to leave as any.

A Few More Thoughts on Tonight's Results

posted by on November 6 at 11:22 PM

From ECB:

• Holy crap, roads and transit! You got creamed. I was expecting a much closer race, but--barring a miracle--it wasn't even close. We won't know for a few weeks what exactly to make of the numbers--whether it went down hardest in anti-rail suburbs, for example, or pro-transit, anti-roads areas like Seattle's 43rd and 46th legislative districts--but it's pretty clear that this wasn't the package voters wanted. It was too big and too divisive, and hopefully the people who craft a replacement will have learned their lesson by the next time. (I would prefer, of course, that that lesson be: No more roads expansion; money for neighborhood streets, safety and maintenance; and more money for rail NOW, rather than in 20 years--but that's just me.) In any case, I think one lesson is definitely that an $18 billion, 50-year package is simply too big to pass--especially when, as with this package, it doesn't fully fund all the projects it includes, meaning that voters will have to pay tolls or additional taxes to finish major projects like SR-520.

• Speaking of voters being against big tax increases, the apparent victory of Tim Eyman's I-960 (which would require a two-thirds majority in the legislature to pass any tax increase) and the apparent defeat of HR 4204 (allowing school levies to pass by a simple majority, rather than a supermajority) seemed to speak to voters' antitax mood. Interestingly, however, those same seemingly conservative voters were siding with trial lawyers over insurance companies in passing R-67 decisively, 56 to 44.

• Darlene Flynn got swept out of the school board in yet ANOTHER anti-incumbent tide. I don't cover school board politics regularly, but doesn't it seem like we have one of these every single election? Yeah, I know the school system has its problems, but Flynn seemed like she was trying to be part of the solution. Yet I know lots of people who voted for her victorious opponent, Sherry Carr, because they were just "in an anti-incumbent mood."

• It's interesting that Venus Velazquez and incumbent David Della were losing by almost identical margins. That could be a coincidence, but I wonder how much overlap there is between supporters of Tim Burgess (who appears to be winning against Della) and of Bruce Harrell (Velazquez's opponent for Peter Steinbrueck's seat)?

Party Crasher Report: Part One

posted by on November 6 at 11:08 PM

Lines of communication broke down tonight faster than certain Seattle politicians' careers, which means that I have to Slog all my reports all at once.
Let me also say that, in general, election nights turn me into a quivering, superstitious little fool. I'm not sure why--I'm an avowed atheist who doesn't believe in anything supernatural--but the thought that our political course is being decided in one evening turns me into a cowering caveman. I decided, tonight, to fall prey to my fears. Some folks consult the I Ching when they are scared. I decided to consult the lyrics of Jay-Z's newly-released American Gangster album, which, by the way, is total genius.

The first party that I hit up this evening was the Tim Burgess affair, at a lovely wine bar at the top of Queen Anne. Immediately upon my arrival, I walked up to Tim Burgess's daughter, Kim Burgess, and started talking. After blabbing for a minute or so, she corrects me. In fact, I'm not talking to Tim Burgess's daughter, Kim Burgess. I'm talking to Tim Burgess's other daughter, Katie Burgess. She gestures over to the other side of the bar, where her older sister, Kim Burgess, daughter of Tim Burgess, older sister of Katie Burgess, is holding court. "It's okay," Katie said, "It happens all the time."
That ended the conversation cold.
I took the opportunity to go to the bathroom and hit up American Gangster. Jay-Z had this to say: "Let's go/Get out the car/goin' in circles/it's a vicious cycle/this is a crash course/this ain't high school/wake up muttley/you're dreamin' again/you're reality show/the season begins." This, obviously, meant that Jay-Z was feeling cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.
I returned to the wine bar, where waiters were unloading huge amounts of delicious food--trays of bread with pesto, cold cut platters, and delightful little mini burgers.

I start talking to a local top-of Queen Anne-ite. The conversation quickly devolved into a complaint about how Metropolitan Market closed and a QFC was going to open into the same space. The gentleman I was talking to said that "QFC doesn't offer the same choices that Metropolitan Market does, and so we decided to do something."
I asked him if his battle against QFC--"You know, I have nothing against QFC, but there's already one at the bottom of the hill," he said--was the reason why he was for Tim Burgess. "Absolutely," he replied.
This kind of explained Burgess's pastoral election posters that I'd been seeing around:

Look at that shit. Trees, houses, a sunset. If there was ever a more bucolic scene on an election poster, I've yet to see it. I was hardly surprised when the results came in and the people were entirely on Burgess's side, at nearly 65%. People were discussing whether or not Burgess should come out with a acceptance speech--at 8:30 in the evening!--and so it was time to leave. The food kept coming and the wine bar got so crowded that waiters could hardly make their way through the place.

By the Numbers: UPDATE

posted by on November 6 at 10:54 PM

Erica will add some analysis to this in a second--but here are the latest numbers:

Prop 1 (Sound Transit/RTID): No (about 56% to 44% in both the RTID and RTA districts).

King County Prosecutor: Satterberg over Sherman, 53% to 46%

City Council Position 1: Godden over Szwaja, 71% to 27%.

City Council Position 3: Harrell over Velazquez, 60% to 38%.

City Council Position 7: Burgess over Della, 61% to 38%.

City Council Position 9: Clark over Fenton, 74% to 25%.

School Board District 1: Maier over Soriano, 59% to 40%.

School Board District 2: Carr over Flynn, 58% to 40%.

School Board District 3: Martin-Morris over Blomstrom, 72% to 27%.

School Board District 6: Sundquist over Ramirez, 59% to 39%.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position 2: Tarleton over Edwards, 51% to 48%.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position 5: Fisken over Bryant, 50% to 49%.

Rainy Day Fund (8206) is being approved, 68% to 31%.

School levy simple majority (4204) is being rejected, 54% to 46%.

Tim Eyman's antitax initiative I-960 is being approved, 54% to 46%.

R-67 on insurance triple damages is being approved, 56% to 44%.

The Numerology of Hope

posted by on November 6 at 10:51 PM

Kiley here: The late absentee ballots that were just announced have given the Sherman party at Mainstage a lil' bump. It's only 3,000 votes, but there's a two-to-one split in Sherman's favor in those 3,000.

I don't know exactly what that means, but Sandeep Kaushik, a Sherman staffer—and, of course, Stranger writer emeritus—explained it: "Early absentees [which tilted against Sherman 46-54] are different from late absentees [which tilted towards him 2-1]. Late absentees tend to mirror the poll votes."

And poll votes are the shit you want in your Christmas stocking.

Which is why the wee 3,000 late-absentee votes that have just dropped are exciting to the Sherman people.

As if in answer to the new hope, some nice-looking toast with cubed tomatoes and shreds of basil have appeared. Everyone's too busy being excited to eat any. So I, cad that I am, take two.

Then I hear a woman talking into her cell phone just behind me: "The numbers are headed in the right direction." Then she sucks in her breath sharply. "But it's going to be a long, tense night."

Mooning

posted by on November 6 at 10:45 PM

Brendan Kiley reports from his bicycle en route from Godden's party to Sherman's:

The party at Sherman's was so dour and depressing, I decided to ride over to Jean Godden's for a bracing shot of victory. The Two Bells Tavern was brightly lit, full of brightly clothed people (crimson jackets were all the rage) talking happily but not excitedly. I asked Godden, whose opponent Joe Szwaja is renowned for his anger, what her frightening moment was with Joe during the campaign. "He had a habit of standing up and turning his backside toward me, almost as if he were mooning me!"

Zen, But Confusing: Szwaja's HQ

posted by on November 6 at 10:44 PM

Jonah reports:

Szwaja's party is at Ravenna Third Place Books, in the bar downstairs. The room is packed with old people with long gray hair. Very casually dressed in a tie and dirty white New Balance sneakers, Joe Szwaja sat down with The Stranger: "The numbers aren't what we want, but they'll go up." Then he started talking about rivers. It was very zen, but confusing.

Even if Godden beats him in the election, does Szwaja still think he could take her in a game of basketball? Yes: "I'd try to lure her into the post-up game. Very few people can beat me in the post-up game."

Szwaja took a couple of shots at Godden. "Unlike Godden, I would never use NOVA staff to help my campaign." He chastised local media for its "lack of substance." If he doesn't win, he wants to concentrate on neighborhood climate councils and improving sustainability in neighborhoods. He says he wants over 50 percent, of course, but he estimates he'll get between 30-40 percent of the vote. (He's at 27% now.)

He's against Prop 1 and said, "The earth doesn't care about compromises." He also supports Maria Ramirez.

Commenting on the chill atmosphere in the bookstore, a tall twentysomething—one of the younger people in the audience—said, "Since Joe's a Green Party candidate, a lot of his supporters are used to losing." A man with the awesome name of Claude Ginsberg was upset with The Stranger's coverage of Szwaja: "What's hippie-style about speaking truth to power?" Indeed.

At the Anti-Roads and Transit Party

posted by on November 6 at 10:35 PM

ECB again: The mood at the anti-Roads and Transit party at Piecora's Pizza was, predictably, far more upbeat than the pro-Roads and Transit shindig at the Westin. Despite predictions that there would be an odd mix of anti-transit and anti-roads opponents of the proposal, the room was jammed with enviros, with only about five anti-transit opponents in evidence. I missed King County Executive Ron Sims's appearance earlier in the night, but I did manage to snag a slice of cold pepperoni pizza and sit down with roads opponents Mike O'Brien and Tim Gould of the Sierra Club and get their take on the results. O'Brien said that he called more than 150 undecided voters yesterday, and the number one concern in their minds was the prospect of expanding roads. O'Brien said he expects the Sierra Club will have a place at the table in crafting a replacement ballot measure. "There's lots of safety and maintenance needs, so there will likely be a roads component," O'Brien said. "I hope it's going to be a safety and maintenance component. I don't think [elected officials] are going to say, well, we just ran the wrong commercials." He noted that Sound Transit has the authority to go back to the ballot next year by itself, as do any of the three counties in the regional package. When I talked to Sound Transit spokesman Ric Ilgenfritz earlier, however, he didn't say anything to indicate a standalone ballot measure was in Sound Transit's plans.

Chez Della

posted by on November 6 at 10:18 PM

Jonah reports:

At city council incumbent David Della's party, there were about 25 people sitting around tables in a brightly lit Chinese restaurant. Della wasn't there, and hadn't arrived by the time The Stranger left around 9:30 pm. I went up to Della's legislative aide, Dave Namura, who very slowly informed me that the numbers were 61 to 39 in Burgess's favor. I asked him how they thought they were going to do, and he said crankily, "I'm not going to comment on anything else."

I went outside and talked to a well-dressed man who didn't wish to be named. He said he was disappointed in the party and the fact that Della wasn't there. He described the party as "a bit moribund. But it's still early. I'm hopeful we'll get a rally here. I don't think Della did much to distinguish himself in this race."

Michael Goodspaceguy Nelson predicted Della would win "by a landslide." A young African-American woman started walking around telling everyone not to yell out stats. "I just got the numbers," a man responded. "And I don't want to announce them."

Brian, The Stranger's news intern, got up to do some karaoke. He chose REM's "The End of the World as We Know It." People looked angry and confused. (Video is forthcoming.)

A man sitting at the bar commented that it'll be "the attack of the yuppies" if Burgess wins.

More from Satterberg in Burien

posted by on November 6 at 9:55 PM

[Reported by Lindy and Megan]

Our reporters finally got an interview with Satterberg, and first thing, they asked him to go on the record about the accusation that the GOP was earmarking donations for his campaign. "Parties are allowed to raise money from whomever they want." He reiterated his nonpartisanship. Why did he chose to run as a Republican rather than a Democrat? "[Blah blah blah]... Norm Maleng... [blah blah blah]".

So, is Satterberg a Republican or not, goddamnit! We decide to judge him like they judge red and blue states: the last two presidential elections. Did he vote for George W. Bush? "Which time?" Both times. "Well, wait, who did he run against the first time?" Al Gore. "I really don't remember. I wouldn't vote for him again. Does that count?" Um.

Changing topics, our reporters ask Satterberg about his musical influences. (His band, the Approximations, is about to go on stage.) "First and foremost, the Beatles." Any local bands? "I really love the Posies." Are you going to go on tour after the election? "This whole election has been a ruse to get publicity for my band." Dan Satterberg took pains to distance himself from Tim Eyman. "Doesn't The Stranger have a party crasher column? You should take a picture of Tim Eyman."

The Approximations have started playing. Their first jam? "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)"--Clinton's campaign song. Coincidence? The Stranger Election Control Board thinks not.

Quick Talk with Sherman...

posted by on November 6 at 9:50 PM

...while we wait for the second drop. There are around 45 people here. The feeling remains quiet and shruggy—like virtuous folks getting creamed.

Have you been asked the required question about what you'll do when [actually, I said when, just to be polite] you're elected?

Focus on how to prevent elder abuse, elder neglect, and fraud. Those are underreported and underprosecuted crimes.

Why has the prosecutor's office been in Republican hands so long?

Well, Norm Maleng conveyed a sense of evenhandedness and steadiness and came from the regime of Chris Bailey, also a Republican, who cleaned up the office that had been very corrupt under his predecessor, who was also a Republican.

[He starts talking about how the city has changed and he represents its evolving values. Those values, he says, aren't new, not per se, but they haven't been represented in a contested election in awhile. He begins to swerve towards his campaign jargon about "equal justice under the law." I interrupt him.]

Who's gotten unequal justice?

Well, there have been some cases—like detective Dan Ring, who was accused of stealing from the elderly and stalking his ex-wife, and my opponent endorsed the dismissal of criminal charges and even allowed him to extend his retirement by a year—so he not only walked away, he walked away carrying his golden parachute.

What's the first thing you opponent would do if he were elected?

I look forward to not having to know that.

Report from the Pro-Prop 1 Party

posted by on November 6 at 9:27 PM

I'm sitting at the Westin Hotel, trying to cool down from the slam-packed room that hosted the pro-Roads and Transit party. With the measure failing by a strong margin (about 44 to 56 percent) in all three of the region's counties, it was a grim scene, reminiscent of the pro-R-51 party in 2002, when that roads measure failed in part because of opposition from environmental groups. This time, of course, enviro groups were divided.

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Pierce County Exec John Ladenburg spoke first. He told the crowd that he was "certainly not conceding defeat at this point--a couple of years back at this point, Gore was president." But he acknowledged what everyone in the room was thinking: The measure appeared to be sunk. "The question is, what now?" he said. "Well, now you're going to get up in the morning and you're going to be stuck in traffic, and that's going to go on for a while." He called opponents of the measure, who include both some environmentalists and some light-rail opponents, "aginners"--"they're against everything. They don't have a plan, they don't have a solution, but they're agin' it." Ladenburg, of course, was the official who most strongly supported the Cross Base Highway in Pierce County that was so hated by environmentalists--one reason groups like the Sierra Club opposed the roads and transit proposal.

The question "What next?" was palpable. The environmental community has been divided on roads and transit, and proponents of the measure have spent so much time saying it's our last chance to get light rail that it's hard to imagine them turning around and stumping for a new package next year. Nonetheless, that's exactly what some elected officials, including King County Council members Larry Phillips and Julia Patterson seemed to suggest should happen. "I'm just concerned that if we don't keep this coalition going.. we won't get anything done," Patterson said. "We need to roll up our sleeves and come back and do it again." Phillips, who thought voters were rejecting the package because of the cost and the possibility of tolls on some of the roads it would pay for, said that although it would be politically difficult to get something on the ballot next year, "I think there's a good chance we could win in a presidential year" like 2008. Governor Christine Gregoire (who was not here) reportedly doesn't want any tax measures on the ballot in 2008, when she will be up for reelection.

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Transit supporters seemed divided between sanguine and pessimistic. Bill LaBorde of Environment Washington said he didn't expect to have a problem getting together with environmental groups that opposed the package and uniting in support of a new proposal. He said he was intrigued by King County Executive Ron Sims's proposal to pay for roads and transit improvements with tolls and congestion pricing, but added, "I'm pretty skeptical that you can get voter approval" for it. "If it's viable, that's great." Ric Ilgenfritz, communications director for Sound Transit, was more gloomy. "There is no Plan B," Ilgenfritz said. "Our job is to be something about the transportation problem, and the transportation problem is going to be there tomorrow, just as it was today."

By the Numbers

posted by on November 6 at 9:26 PM

Here are some preliminary results:

Prop 1 (Sound Transit/RTID): No (about 55 to 44 in both the RTID and RTA districts).

King County Prosecutor: Satterberg over Sherman, 54% to 46%

City Council Position 1: Godden over Szwaja, 72 to 27.

City Council Position 3: Harrell over Velazquez, 61 to 38.

City Council Position 7: Burgess over Della, 61 to 39.

City Council Position 9: Clark over Fenton, 74 to 26.

School Board District 1: Maier over Soriano, 60 to 40.

School Board District 2: Carr over Flynn, 59 to 40.

School Board District 3: Martin-Morris over Blomstrom, 72 to 27.

School Board District 6: Sundquist over Ramirez, 60 to 40.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position 2: Tarleton over Edwards, 51 to 48.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position 5: Fisken over Bryant, 51 to 49.

Rainy Day Fund (8206) is being approved, 69 to 31.

School levy simple majority (4204) is being rejected, 54 to 46.

Tim Eyman's antitax initiative I-960 is being approved, 54 to 46.

R-67 on insurance triple damages is being approved, 56 to 44.

Sherman's Subdued Party

posted by on November 6 at 9:03 PM

[Reported by Brendan Kiley.]

It's sort of subdued here at the Mainstage Comedy Club, where Sherman (our man for King County Prosecutor) just announced the percentages for the first drop: 46% for him, 54% for his opponent (who's having his party out in Burien).

Everyone is shrugging-sad and heads back to the bar for another drink, while Kevin of the band Dave Hates Chico, who will be playing later, warms up in the lobby of the club. "What do you think about the numbers, Kevin?" "Pretty close, dude. But seems like he's got to get some more votes, man."

Everyone's talking about RTID.

I ask several people why the prosecutor's seat has been Republican for so long. Sherman supporter Brendan Donckers said, "I don't want to say anything unpleasant or disrespectful of Norm Maleng. His drug court has been a successful enterprise. I don't want to say anything disrespectful."

That's the most cogent answer I got.

At Dan Satterberg's Rocking Party in Burien

posted by on November 6 at 8:54 PM

[Reported by Lindy and Megan.]

At Dan Satterberg's party in Mick Kelly's Irish Pub in Burien, Dan Satterberg's 11-year-old daughter's best friend just got into a BMW with vanity plates that say "SOLDOUT." Before ducking out, the precocious girl (who's almost 11) told Lindy that Dan Satterberg "is fair and will serve justice to King County."

Lindy reports that everyone here is white and that half of them have a hearing aid. There is a band that may or may not be Dan Satterberg's, but he hasn't joined them on stage.

Tim Eyman arrived and soon mistook our intrepid reporter for "a waitress." After declining to take his drink order, Megan asked Eyman if he voted for Dan Satterberg. "Sure!", he said. "Really?" "No, actually I don't live in King County." He's already declaring victory for I-960, but there is no 960 party, so he came to Dan Satterberg's instead. He then apologizes for calling Megan a waitress.

The snacks are mediocre—not the best egg rolls, not the worst egg rolls.

Megan also interviewed Satterberg supporter Joel Harvey, who's wearing a Mount St. Helen's muscle tee and a US war veteran's cap. Did you vote for Dan Satterberg? "Yes." Why? "Because he makes things right." Why did you come here tonight? "Like in a sexual way?" Awkward pause. "Why I came here tonight is the same reason I became a first captain in Vietnam." So Dan Satterberg's party is like Vietnam? "Yes."

Report from Burgess Party on Queen Anne

posted by on November 6 at 8:33 PM

ECB here, Slogging from what has suddenly become the Tim Burgess victory party. When the latest numbers came up showing Burgess with 61 percent to Della's 38.6 percent, the previously staid crowd at Bricco Wine Bar on Upper Queen Anne exploded. "Obviously, there must be something wrong," Burgess joked, adding, "I hope we don't get slammed for having this party in such a chichi wine bar."

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Standing at the door of the crowded bar, Burgess greeted newcomers with the news. Most looked shocked. "You'll have to start shopping for clothes for all those official functions!" someone told Burgess's wife Joleen. "Is it too early to say congratulations?" another said. Burgess had been attacked in recent days by Della for work his firm did in the '90s on behalf of controversial right-wing group Concerned Women for America. The mailers and ads, which attempted to label Democrat Burgess as a Republican, may have backfired.

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"Let's go home!" a friend just told Burgess. "No way--I can drink now!" Burgess replied. The food spread at the bar is impressive, to say the least--it includes mini lamb burgers on brioche, all kinds of tapenades, and fancy-looking cheeses. Can't wait to hear what the scene at Della's party is like.

Bruce Harrell HQ

posted by on November 6 at 8:30 PM

[Reported by Jonah.]

At Bruce Harrell's party at the Four Seas in the International District, the first results are in. Harrell is at 61% to Velazquez's 38%, and everyone in the crowd is going nuts. The fact that it's at Four Seas is weird--this is Richard McIver's hangout. Jonah asked Harrell why he was having his party here: Apparently, Harrell's family had a big dinner here two days before his dad died in August. Said Harrell, "His spirit is here with me." Jonah asked if Harrell would be drinking tonight, and his wife quickly jumped in: "He'll be very careful."

Ron Sims is here--it's one of three stops he's making. He's also stopping by the Sierra Club and Medic 1.

The best part so far: When asked how the food was, former mayoral candidate Al Runte bit into a chicken wing, licked his fingers, and said, "It's all right. When I had my election party at Rock Salt, we spent $2,000, and it was good."

First King County Drop

posted by on November 6 at 8:18 PM

With 144622 ballots counted, Satterberg is edging Sherman for King County Prosector.

Here's the first page of Seattle results, with Godden trouncing Szwaja and Harrell beating Velazquez. And here's the second page, with Burgess beating Della and Judy Fenton winning a disturbing 25% of the vote.

First Statewide Ballot Drop

posted by on November 6 at 8:06 PM

No word from the partygoers yet, but Island County is having its say in the first statewide vote drop. The Islanders are liking Tim Eyman (56% yea on the antitax I-960) and loving trial lawyers (61% yea on R-67 for triple damages on unreasonable insurance denials). Oh, wait, another drop. A bunch more counties are checking in, and the yeas still have it on both, but the margins are narrowing. Nothing from the biggest counties yet.