Just before the August primary, we told you to vote for someone other than Seattle mayor Greg Nickels. We suggested a new guy named Mike McGinn. He wound up coming in first, and another new guy came in second. Mayor Nickels is out on his ass—the top two vote-getters advance to the general election—and now Seattle voters are speed-dating the dreamy Mike McGinn and the idiotic Joe Mallahan. (And we're sorry, Greg, we didn't know our own strength—honestly we'd rather have you to kick around right now than that T-Mobile idiot.)
So the lushes and potheads called it. Our enemies—and they are legion—claim it's just dumb luck and mutter about stopped clocks. Don't believe 'em. The Stranger Election Control Board is now the ultimate, divinely ordained, final, and eternally binding arbiter of electoral success in this town. Don't fuck with the lushes and potheads.
Stranger Personals
With great power comes great responsibility, and so at Stranger election headquarters we rolled a keg into the conference room, amassed a pile of voter pamphlets, and called a slew of meetings with the candidates who made it through the primary. Did Seattle city attorney Tom Carr get through our interview without having tuna thrown in his face? Did we stay awake for city council candidate David Bloom's pitch? Did Mallahan win us over? Read our endorsements, heed our city-shaking commandments, and vote, bitches, vote.
No
First: Fuck Tim Eyman.
His latest initiative, like all the others he's dangled in front of voters in years past, is appealingly simple. Initiative 1033 would essentially cap the amount of money that the state, county, and city governments could collect from taxpayers and base this cap on how much those governments collected the previous year (adjusted for inflation and population growth). Any surplus would go toward reducing property taxes.
Almost sounds reasonable, huh?
But this initiative would lock Washington into its current budget forever—the worst budget the state has had in decades, due to the recession—and prevent lawmakers from making necessary investments in people and infrastructure when the economy improves. Picture this lean year, when we had to lay off roughly 3,000 teachers and cut basic health services for 40,000 people, as the best it's ever going to get from here on out. Or picture Colorado. Years ago, that state passed a similar law that devastated its education and health-care funding, even eliminating vaccines for kids. Or California, which is an economic basket case thanks to initiatives like this one. We shouldn't make the same mistake those states did. Hundreds of groups—including virtually every Democratic organization in Washington—oppose I-1033. You should, too. Vote no.
And, one more time: Fuck Tim Eyman.
Approve
Earlier this year, the state legislature expanded the rights of a same-sex registered domestic partnership to include all the state-granted rights of marriage—except it's not called "marriage."
And if you thought Tim Eyman was fucked, the guys behind Referendum 71 are gaping assholes. They gathered signatures to put the state's domestic-partnership bill on the ballot—thereby allowing right-wing bigots to vote on the rights of committed same-sex partners. R-71 backers insist that they're protecting families and children. But that's a canard. This petition was the product of Gary Randall, a carpetbagging Oregonian who makes money running hate-mongering campaigns and, according to the Clackamas County recorder's office, owes $36,012 in unpaid federal back taxes. Also behind the measure is Larry Stickney, a thrice-married Christian extremist who allegedly beat his wife and refused to pay for his daughter's college education until a judge made him, according to records in Kitsap County Superior Court. The two lied every step of the way to get this on the ballot, claiming in television ads and on the petition that the measure was the same as gay marriage and that "public schools K–12 will be forced to teach that same-sex marriage and homosexuality are normal." None of that's true. Neither is their claim that this is about family: Stickney and Randall are deceptive bigotry-mongers.
But now it's on the ballot. A vote to approve R-71 is a vote to uphold the domestic-partnership bill. If passed, it gives the state's 6,000 registered couples the right to take leave from work to care for a critically ill partner, the right for public-sector employees to share pension benefits with their partners, and dozens of other rights that straight couples enjoy—and all committed partners deserve.
Vote to approve Referendum 71.
Mike McGinn
Seriously, we couldn't fit enough words into this tiny space to fully explain how much we lurv Mike McGinn. But never fear! There are about 1,000 words over here that you should check out. It's the second installment in our award-winning, million-part series, The Case for Mike McGinn. Read our case for McGinn. Admire the portraits of him we're commissioning by local artists. Buy the commemorative plate. Vote for McGinn.
Yes on All of 'Em
What fuckwit wrote the King County Charter anyway? The thing was so poorly drafted that voters have to approve an assload of amendments every goddamn November. Was it written in Tlingit and mistranslated by a room full of retards—oh, sorry. That's rude. Let's try this instead: Was the thing written in Tlingit and translated by a room full of "research fellows" at the Discovery Institute?
Okay, King County, we read all four of your stupid amendments, and the only one we care about is No. 4. It would protect 156,000 acres of natural open space that the county owns—including Cougar Mountain, southeast of Bellevue—and set a high threshold for changing the status of these "high conservation value" properties. If the county wants to sell any of these properties in the future, or change how they're used, it will require seven votes on the county council and public hearings. Good idea, since there will no doubt be pressure to develop some of these lands as the county population grows. Approve!
As for the others... Amendment No. 1 deletes references in the charter to sections that no longer exist. Approve—why do we have to vote on crap like this? Amendment No. 2 removes requirements for outdated budget procedures. Approve—but who writes budget procedures into county charters anyway? And Amendment No. 3 requires the county council to confirm appointees to the commission that writes charter amendments—you know, all those 'tards from the Discovery Institute. Approve!
Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine's opponent, Susan Hutchison, is a political lightweight, a partisan extremist, a shitty fit for the most liberal county in the state, and a blow-dried, brain-dead, lying, hypocritical, and cowardly piece of shit. Oh, and she's a closet Republican, too. You have to be a self-defeating idiot—or a right-wing douchebag, which is basically the same thing—to want her as county executive.
Hutchison is a fan of George W. Bush, Mike Huckabee, Dino Rossi, and Dave Reichert. She also hates county government more than anyone—or, at least, that's her "populist" platform—and in pursuit of the votes of rural guv'mint bashers, she's been wandering around the region sounding like a Northwest version of Grover "Cut government down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub" Norquist.
Dow Constantine is on the King County Council, has worked in the state legislature, and has been calling Hutchison out on her deceptive bullshit ever since she jumped into this "nonpartisan" race (which is only a nonpartisan race because Hutchison helped pay for a campaign to make it so, allowing her to run as a stealth Republican). Sure, King County has problems—budgeting problems, parks problems, and yes, we know, terrible, awful, no-good dog-catching problems—but Constantine has been in the trenches working to fix those problems and will be in a better position to do so as county executive. He's the one you want in charge of the county's forests and wetlands, its controversial needle-exchange program, and its reproductive-health services.
Vote for Dow. And when you do, consider the broader service you'll be doing for the country. Susan Hutchison, whose wide name recognition comes from her years as a local TV-news anchor, is basically Sarah Palin (minus the political experience). Only you can help prevent another Sarah Palin.
Bob Rosenberger
Bob Rosenberger has worked as an appraiser for the King County Assessor's office since the Tlingit first sat down to draft the King County Charter. He recently tried to retire, but then his boss drunkenly plowed into another car while driving the wrong way up I-5 (the fool resigned and got eight months in the pokey). A chief deputy at the assessor's office was going to run to replace the fool, but was hospitalized with a stroke and dropped out. Thankfully, Bob stepped out of retirement and into the race, because all the other candidates seem either inexperienced or crazy. (You'd think anyone running for KCA would be a walking abacus, all calm and rational. Not so.) Plus, Rosenberger vowed to fight Tim Eyman with everything he's got. Vote Rosenberger.
Rob Holland
We didn't have to think too hard about endorsing Rob Holland. Holland is progressive, intelligent, and charming, and his opponent, David Doud, is a Republican and so stupid he could be a Discovery Institute research fellow. Doud cochaired King County for McCain—how'd that work out for you, Doud?—and says he's running because the job is "synergistic with my career." Gee, it's your world, Doud. The rest of us just vote in it.
And we're voting for Holland.
Um... A Greasy, Half-Empty Tub of Crisco?
Jesus Christ, this race gives us heartburn.
People hit the ceiling when we endorsed civic gadfly Tom Albro in the primary, which we did because his opponent, union-man Max Vekich, bombed in our interview. Vekich was vague, unprepared, and didn't seem to understand exactly why he was running or what he was running for. Albro spoke eloquently about the need for transparency (because the port is a scandal factory), protecting habitat, reducing fossil-fuel consumption (with specifics about taxis, tugboats, and airplanes), creating jobs, and saving public funds by overhauling the way the port manages its massive real-estate holdings (nobody even knows how much they're really worth because, unbelievably, the port hasn't appraised them all).
In the last few weeks, the King County Citizens for Port Reform campaign—which backs Holland and Vekich—kicked into overdrive, trying to put a stink around Albro. And it's working. The Port Reform people are beating their gongs about Albro taking significant contributions from folks and lobbyists who backed Pat "Scandalpants" Davis and Mic "Scandalthong" Dinsmore. Albro also gave a little money to Dino Rossi, and that sort of shit matters to us. And Albro and David "King County for McCain" Doud share a campaign manager. (Did we mention we really dislike Doud?)
We're sticking with our original endorsement... sorta... but we wouldn't blame you if you voted for Vekich. Or a greasy, half-empty tub of Crisco. We'll be fucked either way.
Pete Holmes
We have it in for Seattle city attorney Tom Carr. This clown has spent two terms in office harassing employees at bars and clubs (by Carr's own admission, his beloved Operation Sobering Thought, which swept up more than 20 nightlife workers on picayune charges, ended up undermining a far more important legislative effort to make Seattle nightlife safer), aggressively prosecuting pot smokers long after Seattle voters in 2003 made busting them the city's "lowest law-enforcement priority," and throwing the book, Mark-Sidran-style, at everyone from a guy who makes racy balloon figures at Seattle Center to a troubled man who shoplifted a $1.72 can of tuna. (When we brought the tuna case up in our meeting with Carr, he accused the SECB of "bad lawyering." What the fuck, dude?)
Pete Holmes, Carr's first serious opponent in eight years, is the former chair of a city board designed to hold police officers accountable. He's also an experienced civil litigator and an advocate of the idea that the city attorney should represent the people of Seattle rather than representing some self-serving interpretation of the city's best interests (which is how Carr operates). Moreover, in a clear break with Carr's policies, Holmes has promised not to prosecute one more person charged inside the Seattle city limits with simple marijuana possession. To quote: "Under my tenure, I will not charge another minor marijuana-possession offense—either in conjunction with other charges or standing alone. Period."
Vote for Holmes.
Richard Conlin
Richard Conlin is the current city council president and—wonder of wonders—pretty sane about what's really the most urgent council business. (Though he is remarkably proud of writing the legislation to legalize pygmy goats.) The guy should have run for mayor. He probably could have slipped through the primary, given how disgusted voters were with Nickels, and if he'd done that he'd be the man in the race with the most political experience. If Dan Savage had followed through on his run-for-mayor-then-resign-and-make-the-council-president-mayor plan, Conlin might still have a shot. But that was then.
On to his good decisions! Conlin spearheaded last year's parks levy, supported a light-rail extension to Ballard, and stood up to the bullying tactics of Greg Nickels. Conlin's opponent, David Ginsberg, is a former "solutions architect" at Washington Mutual—there's a record you can run on, huh?—with zero political experience and a campaign platform that, as far as we can tell, consists mainly of vague opposition to the construction of the downtown tunnel. (We prefer Mike McGinn's specific opposition to the downtown tunnel.) Ginsberg couldn't keep track of time well enough to show up as scheduled to the Stranger Election Control Board's endorsement interview. And did we mention that he was a "solutions architect" for Washington Mutual?
And did you know that Conlin decriminalized the possession of itty-bitty goats for personal use in Seattle? He did! Vote Conlin!
Sally Bagshaw
We wanted to love David Bloom, a man-of-the-cloth progressive with a long history of advocating for the poor and the homeless. But while Bloom's bleeding heart is in the right place, his head is up his ass. Bloom opposes streetcars ("they replace buses"), rejects light rail to Ballard and West Seattle ("no extension of light rail"), and dislikes any major investment in infrastructure ("if it comes down to a capital project or people, I will invest in people"). He would, however, invest in rebuilding the motherfucking viaduct! (Psst, David? People ride in streetcars, people take light rail, people rely on infrastructure for clean water, electricity, transportation, etc.)
Bloom's vision of Seattle is a city packed with buses spewing diesel plumes over throngs of fat-and-happy homeless people. In interviews, Bloom repeatedly said new construction should require a "one-for-one" replacement every time less expensive housing is demolished. Asked when—if ever—this idea has worked, Bloom cited one housing development in Washington, D.C., and a neighborhood in Vancouver, BC. But those aren't citywide rules, which he wants for Seattle, and it appears that widespread development would remain economically feasible with the rule in place. He's fine with increasing density, he says, but in order to build, you have to do something economically unfeasible. Uh-huh.
So we're endorsing Sally Bagshaw, a former attorney in the civil division of the King County prosecutor's office. She isn't the best, either, frankly. When we asked what she has done to help the downtrodden, Bagshaw told us about the time she helped victims of a Metro bus accident. The moral of her tale: "Because they were so well taken care of, they didn't sue us." Touching. But Bagshaw has a résumé of effective work for the county, lives downtown, and gets urban Seattle life. She's also created legal clinics for indigent women and helped create accommodations for homeless women at the YMCA—so she's done more for the downtrodden than she can recall. In addition to being smart, practical, and progressive-ish, she supports investing in rail transit and other municipal infrastructure projects. She likes itty-bitty goats. Vote Bagshaw.
Nick Licata
Nick Licata joined the city council at a key turning point... in the American Civil War. Yeah, yeah: He's been in there a while. But he's still alert and effective. In his most recent term, Licata has delivered on key issues of social and criminal justice.
In 2006, he sponsored and passed legislation to increase transparency of police records—even though the police guild challenged the legislation. Licata also created a group to study whether the city could avoid building a new $200 million jail. The group supported diverting low-level, nonviolent offenders into less expensive, more effective treatment programs. Licata also fought to provide better public defense for indigent people in the municipal court system while raising standards for judges.
When considered along with his entire career on the council—he secured funding for pre-arrest diversion programs, led the first council discussions on reforming drug policy, and called City Attorney Tom Carr on his bullshit—Licata has proved to be the strongest council member on issues of civil rights and smarter criminal justice, and a stalwart ally for nightlife. In the last few years, he's passed bills to provide more workforce housing, increase standards for pedestrian safety, and get more police on the street.
He is wrong about the viaduct, though, and he knows it. Because we told him.
We're less impressed with Jessie Israel, a King County Parks employee, who has strong ties to conservative police and fire unions and has constitutionally dubious proposals for dealing with panhandling. Israel wouldn't bring the innovation to handling criminal-justice issues to the council that Licata has pushed for years—and we don't want the council to forget those issues. If Israel wins, she'll morph into Sue Donaldson faster than the American Chemistry Council can buy an election. "Sue who?" you ask. Exactly, we say.
Vote Licata.
Mike O'Brien
Mike O'Brien, who answers phone calls while riding his bike, has a granite ass. If he doesn't die in traffic before November 3, we want to see his granite ass sitting on the city council. He's an environmentalist (former chair of the local chapter of the Sierra Club) and a business wizard (got his MBA from the University of Washington). O'Brien's mix of idealism and realism in city planning is refreshing, and we think his approaches to building a dense city and funding transit represent the vision Seattle needs. But just as much as we love O'Brien's big brain and granite ass, we fear his opponent.
Robert Rosencrantz, a high-end real-estate broker and apartment landlord, is disconcertingly conservative. Rosencrantz has favored new roads and paving projects at the expense of building new transit, he backs heavy-handed law-enforcement measures, and he prizes NIMBY complaints over a vibrant nightlife. And on the issue of abortion, Rosencrantz believes parents should be notified when a minor seeks an abortion and he has refused to answer questions about abortion rights, instead quoting Obama's statement that we need to "honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion." Yikes.
And, yes, yes, we know: The city council doesn't handle abortion issues. But city council seats—like heading up county government—can launch someone into a political career that eventually puts that person in a position where they are making decisions about women's reproductive freedoms.
O'Brien is more progressive on almost every issue—on density, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, and removing parking requirements—than his opponent. He believes Seattle will become more hospitable to residents and businesses by expanding transit systems and making livable neighborhoods. We agree. Vote O'Brien.
Yes
We didn't endorse David Bloom, but we support people! Up with people! Especially poor people who don't have homes! We want to get them into homes built out of infrastructure using our tax dollars! Because, hey, we're not heartless!
It might seem like a terrible time—with this recession and all—to approve a $145 million property-tax levy to fund low-income housing. But we think now is the best time for it. A vote to approve is really a vote to renew the housing levy passed in 2002. And today, many of the construction projects funded by that levy are moving forward—creating construction jobs, getting people off the street. This levy would maintain the same level of affordable-housing production and assistance as the levy voters passed in 2002, while increasing the median property taxes from $39 a year to $65 a year for inflation and increased building costs. Most of the money would build about 1,670 housing units for the lowest-wage earners in Seattle, with other portions going to provide emergency rental assistance and help for first-time home buyers. We'd be getting people off the street, which saves money on emergency services, while keeping workers near their jobs and creating new construction jobs. Vote yes.
Beverly Harison Tonda
Oh, Bev Tonda, flaxen Cleopatra of Maple Valley, coy queen of the Cedar River: How ardently, how loins-burstingly, we endorse thee. Woe betide the foes of Tonda—wastrels and heathens and pederasts all—when, wild of eye and foamy of mouth, army of loyal she-beavers at her back, Tonda bursts forth from her watery den to crush and sweep aside the enemy like a cleansing rain. In the name of all that is sacred twixt heav'n and earth, vote for motherfucking Bev Tonda. VOTE THE FUCKING SHIT OUT OF HER.
Kay Smith-Blum
We identified two clear front-runners in this race during the primary, and they both made it through to the general: Mary Bass, the "dissident" incumbent board member and a longtime advocate for Central District residents, and Kay Smith-Blum, co-owner of a "European specialty store" called Butch Blum and a longtime fundraiser for public schools.
Both of them are batshit crazy.
Which is exactly as it should be: You have to be nuts to want to sit on the school board, grind your teeth through its decision-making processes, and believe that someday, if you can just pass one more resolution, you'll beat a bunch of intractable problems that are mostly beyond your control anyway.
The question, then, is who is the best kind of crazy for this job, and while in the past we've been impressed with how successfully bonkers Bass can be, her bonkers hasn't produced enough tangible results. Plus, we were blown away this year by Smith-Blum's new style of nutso. As we wrote in our primary endorsement: "Smith-Blum is holy-shit-she's-probably-right-and-she's-going-to-chew-my-face-off-if-I-disagree-with-her crazy. And that fresh brand of crazy—plus Smith-Blum's track record of strong public-school advocacy—is just what this position needs."
Yes, we know, it's since been revealed that Smith-Blum claimed a double major in marketing and statistics from the University of Texas when all she really had was a major in marketing and some statistics courses under her belt. Um. Who gives a shit? And we rest our case.
Also, the way Smith-Blum reacted to the news—by using it as an opportunity to remind voters that she took a lot of statistics classes and has always been committed to "data-driven" leadership—was pretty slick. Like we said, don't fuck with Smith-Blum. Also: Vote for her. (Full disclosure: Smith-Blum's business advertises in The Stranger. The SECB does not take advertising into consideration when making endorsements. If we did, we'd be running a write-in campaign for the Rad Dyke plumber for county executive and backing a slate of nearly naked American Apparel models for city council.)
Betty Patu
Just like Smith-Blum, Betty Patu, a three-decade veteran teacher in Seattle public schools, stepped into a little bit of a résumé scandal around the time of the primary election. Patu had claimed a master's degree in education from Antioch University in Seattle when, in fact, she didn't yet have one. Well, in late September, Patu finished her master's degree at Antioch and put the scandal behind her (all while showing the children—think of the children!—what you can achieve if your white lies involve a truth that just hasn't quite happened yet). Anyway, we still have love for Patu. She's a retired teacher from Rainier Beach High School, has that rock-ribbed confidence that comes with toiling in the trenches for 30 years, and aims to represent Asian/Pacific Islanders and other minority groups, all while—yes, this really happened—wrestling guns away from students with her vocal chords.
Patu's opponent, Wilson Chin, seems like a nice enough guy and has
been involved in public-school matters for some time. But not as long
as Betty Patu has. And when has he ever stopped a bullet with his
voice? Never. Vote for Betty Patu. Obviously. 
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You should check out Max's looooooong list of endorsements: http://www.maxforourport.com/default.asp…
Highlights:
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
Congressman Jay Inslee
Congressman Adam Smith
Congressman Jim Mcdermott
King County Labor Council
Sierra Club
King County Democrats
Every single Democratic LD
FUSE
Publicola (Josh Feit and Erica C Barnett)
SEAMEC
the list goes on...
I checked all the candidates' websites and on all but his all I could find was vague talk, but Ginsberg has posted more than 20 proposals designed to create economy opportunity, more affordability and better transportation. You should really take a look, and frankly checking everyone's websites should have been part of your process to begin with. All the incumbent does is tread water, Ginsberg want's to move us forward with bold initiatives to create a brighter future.
Ginsberg is the clear progressive in this race, if progressive means making progress. Oh, and Ginsberg's stance on nightlife is far better as well: "Part of what it means to be a great city is for it to be fun and nightlife is an essential part of that mix". VOTE GINSBERG!
Albro is being supported by right wing conservatives from Slade Gorton to evangelical ministers (PastorPicks.com). He's taken money from a long list of corrupt interests from port polluters to worse.
And yet SECB is too stubborn to admit that they fucked up? That means you're the SFCH this time.
For more information on the port candidates, and why you should even care, check out www.portreform.org
The stranger is just appealing to their demographic, which is the lowest common denominator of society and frankly, fuck them. They can feel free to smoke pot and smell bad while the rest of us smoke pot, shower, and have good jobs.
If McGinn would just decide that it's important to create a balance between getting cars moving and riding your bike, I'd probably vote for him, but as it stands I see him as a "tunnel bad, bikes good" candidate and I fear for my ability to actually work at my job should he become mayor. I think I'll probably still feel a bit dirty after voting for Mallahan, but at least that dirt will wash off (those of you who don't understand the process of washing might not care though).
Back to the School Board. As someone who has been an activist in our district for over 15 years (and I write for a Seattle education blog, Save Seattle Schools), I think I can add something to the conversation.
Honestly, it just doesn't matter at this point who you vote for in either race. Mary would continue to be the passionate and heartfelt, if ineffective, director that she is. She is so smart it is just painful to say no. Kay Smith-Blum does act like a bat out of hell but kids, if you think she can get 1/10th of what she says she wants to get done in SPS, I've got a Viaduct to sell you. She's going to come in and get a major sit-down from the other directors who are going to calmly tell her that other programs are already in motion, we have a Strategic Plan to see through and oh, by the way, you're on a team. She's smart, though, and has lots of useful connections to people throughout the city.
Betty versus Wilson. First of all, and I'm pretty sure, Betty was not a teacher. Go look for her teaching certificate. (Details do matter, Stranger kids.)
Second, this is the saddest little race. Wilson, while bright, does not know this district, speaks in platitudes and seems to have little passion for being a director. So why run? On the other hand, Betty is full of passion but she has very simplistic answers to questions. She sent her daughter (her campaign manager) to a forum on Monday (because she was doing disaster relief for Pacific-Islanders) and if what her daughter said represented her ideas, then we're in trouble.
But one of them will be the director for the SE region of the district and be a weak one at that. Not what that region needs.
Also, Mike McGinn at least understands the district, the issues around it. I interviewed him waaay before the primary. Mallahan? Can't catch a break to talk to him. Whether the Mayor has any direct responsibility for schools doesn't matter. The bully pulpit is a valuable thing to have and the district should understand that as should the Mayor. McGinn for education - he gets it.
My aunt works in the state legislature in an extremely powerful, influential position. The legislature is going to tell McGinn that it's a state highway that he has no control over. It's going to be ugly and I don't think McGinn is going to win on this issue. It's one thing to connect with the city and communities, it's another to go up against the estbalishment --- and they're the ones who hold the cards.
Why can't we push for BOTH options? Can't we try to have a tunnel that supports cars who will use it, and find the funds --- or obtain stimulus funds federally, which he plans to do to fund his other ideas --- to support a surface/street option?
Wouldn't this race be a lot more valuable to us all if we found a way to work with our City Council, state reps, U.S. Senators (Murray & Cantwell) and Congressional leaders?
And shit, maybe we should just beg Bill Gates & the superduper wealthy for money.
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And have you come to any of the numerous town halls McGinn has had to voice your concerns? At the West Seattle town hall a lot of people brought up this concern and he was honest about his plan. Let's give people the option of transit or driving by building a better transit infrastructure. When you give people the option, many do choose transit, and that frees up the roads who can't or don't want to take transit.
I pay my fair share of taxes, and want those tax dollars to go to Light Rail in the next 2 years instead of an antiquated highway project.
He laughed off my friend's question -- literally laughed it off -- about commuting from Seattle to Redmond via 520, saying we need to focus within Seattle. Now he's for lightrail. Genuine, or getting votes?
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But, more importantly, B:
Max Vekich is the real fucking deal. Tom Albro is a slimy piece of worm shit, who talks about transparency, but is really just Pat Davis with a penis (and a large forehead). Max wants to make sure our port is environmentally friendly, can expand and take on more cargo, keeping jobs in Seattle, and is against the 10% raise for the current CEO, who has failed as a leader of the Port. Max has the experience as a legislator, and with over 30 years dealing with port and maritime issues, to be an effective and smart choice for the Port Commission.
Tom Albro is a fucking douche mover. Plain and simple. Douche. Mover.
Housing is pretty basic and now is not the time to turn our backs on the most vulnerable among us like people with disabilities, seniors, domestic violence survivors and homeless LGBTQ youth.
VOTE YES on PROP 1! RENEW the Housing Levy.
www.yesforhomes.org
Then he went to Sierra Club.
So he was for the evil corporations before he was against them.
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Since I've been hearing him speak he's always been for taking transportation thought out of building roads to moving people. Really study the city and see how we can make it better for everyone that uses the streets.
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Or they heard he did bad things at a law firm.
Or they don't like the "Seattle Process".
Or they're tired of environmentalism.
Policies? What are those. We're single-issue voters.
McGinn is a single-issue candidate. At lease one issue that city can directly affect...well, two now that he wants the taxpayers to put high speed internet all over the city. (Schools and buses don't count - not directly under the city's control)
@18 -
Yes. (kidding). Of course not. But I'm willing to bet that you're not a lawyer who's job it is to screw over consumers in litigation. Working to keep costs down on the inside is genius. Working to screw over consumers on the outside, and then being "for the people" is disingenuous at best.
Tom Albro was the Chair of the Muni League, was that at the same time they were making those endorsements of Pat Davis? Maybe that's why so many of Pat Davis' donors have also donated significant amounts of money to Tom Albro.
Tom Albro offers more of the same. Just follow the money.
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And let's not forget that Mallahan spends the majority of his time talking about the tunnel. It's not the most important issue to this city, but if you're going to talk about it more than the person you're blasting does, then perhaps you're, ah, single-issue.
I would love to read the Seattle Weekly, if only anyone else read it. Sadly, no, I have to go with the newspaper I hate because otherwise I'll be left out of public discussion.
I fucking hate you, Stranger. If I must have one bias let it be this: Anything written by The Stranger that deals with politics is utter bullshit, and let's face it, The Stranger is like nine tenths politics, one twentieth cafe/art-house bullshit art, one twentieth semi-decent writing.
If anyone is a "gaping asshole," it is you, Stranger. It is *you.*
Not to mention that Dominic wrote an entire article bashing Rosencrantz for such things as; being more conservative than his opponent, being endorsed by development interests and the Downtown Chamber of Commerce, and supporting the anti-panhandling ordinance, all things that apply to the Bloom/Bagshaw race. I suspect it would be silly to think the fine folks at the Stranger would attempt to have a constant ideology or manner of basing their decisions.
The Stranger has been railing for a long time about having true believers running for office, and when they finally get one, they throw him under the bus faster than you can say "rapid transit."(something Bloom supports)
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Danny Westneat’s article today in the Seattle Times says it all with his headline “I-1033 A Windfall for the Rich” Read the article to find out more about the fatal flaw in I-1033 that will get people to vote No.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/da…
As Westneat says
“He could have targeted his tax relief to help those who most need it. But he didn’t. This is the rotten core of his initiative.
Forget all the caterwauling about spending cuts. At its heart this is a massive giveaway to the rich that does little or nothing for the poor.”
A vote for I-1033 will help millionaires pay their property taxes. And one third of Eyman’s tax rebate goes to pay property taxes for commercial real estate.
If you don’t want your tax dollars to be used to help pay the property taxes for Boeing and Weyerhaeuser and Microsoft and all the other corporations and apartment owners and shopping mall owners and real estate developers vote No on I-1033.
Keep Tim Eyman’s hands out of your pockets.
I vote for people based on many things: their views, their record, and WHO endorses them. Luckily, I'm looking beyond the Stranger's wishy washy Crisco-coated backpedaling and I'm going to vote for Vekich because he's endorsed by gay groups like Seamec and environmental groups like the Sierra Club and representatives I respect like Jay Inslee and Jamie Pedersen.
Crisco is full of shit no one wants or needs. We need real information and not some slick fake lubricant that sounds good but is full of chemicals.
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Wow. This is as big a disservice to the voters in this election as The Stranger's opposition to the Commons Park in the mid 90s. Keep up the good work guys, maybe you can help ensure that we never make any real progress here.
Here are the questions asked by the Stranger and my answers:
1. Why are you running for this seat and how would you do a better job than Conlin?
I'm running for this seat because I'm frustrated by a lack of progress on key issues facing this city, and I believe that the incumbent's penchant for endless process is at the heart of the problem. Twelve years ago voters were concerned with a handful of issues that still figure prominently in this year's election: transportation, poor land use, affordability, quality of life, failing schools. I know that the incumbent is fond of saying he has a record of getting things done, but the question I'd pose to voters and to the Stranger ECB is are those things that are at the forefront of voters concerns? And the answer is a resounding no. Even among some of his strongest supporters, when I ask them to point to two or three great things the incumbent has done not one has been able to do so. That is an indication of his lackluster record of accomplishments on the issues that matter most. And on the most significant issue of our time—sustainability—the incumbent has had little to no impact despite having been on the Council for a dozen years. This is an issue we have a moral obligation to future generations to solve, and the biggest impact we as a municipality can have on sustainability is through good planning for land use and transportation. On both of those counts we're worse off now than we were twelve years ago when he took office.
We've seen the character of our neighborhoods damaged by poor development that does little to increase sustainability. Those four and six-pack townhomes that now dot our neighborhoods don't provide enough density to make transit work or to foster vibrant neighborhood business district,s and the majority of the big box condos that have gone up lack character, lack opportunities for interaction and community building, and both types look like they were designed by committee rather than by architects. And largely they were—they are the direct result of poor planning and land use code enacted during the incumbent's tenure on the Council.
On transportation things are even worse—we've missed the boat on building rapid transit to serve every corner of this city for too long. Our roads are already suffering from gridlock and we're expecting at least 140,000 people to move here in the next several decades. There's no way we can absorb that many new residents driving cars.
Our failure to adequately plan for either sufficient housing or transit amounts to a massive failure of leadership on the biggest issues of our times. The voters know it, and it's time for a new generation of leaders who understand the problems we face and have the courage to make the tough decisions required, both in terms of policy and in using the bully pulpit of public office to move the city forward. I'm part of that generation, and I love this city too much to let another precious four years slip through our fingers because nobody was willing to challenge the incumbent Council President, so I'm happy and ready to lead on the key issues of our time.
I have a record of accomplishments in my professional life that demonstrate a willingness to to challenge orthodoxy and ask tough questions that lead to better decisions. I have a reputation for bringing people together around a common vision and for executing on that on-time and within-budget. I'm ready to step up to serve this city, to build a brighter future for the next generation and those who will follow.
2. What has Conlin done in his 12-year tenure that indicates he shouldn't continue on the city council?
I find nearly nothing of significance, which is why I'm challenging him. He's done a decent job at constituent services, and I think he's an adequate bureaucrat. But challenging times like these require true leadership and a willingness to take political risks to move the debate on critical issues forward so we can find solutions. There's been a void of leadership on the Council, and we can't afford to muddle through without progress on transportation, affordability and our failing economy.
If we don't build enough housing for all those who will come, we'll price even more of our own kids out of the market here. If we don't make investments in a good multi-modal transportation system we'll doom ourselves to idling ever more hours in traffic at great cost to our economy and personal happiness. If we don't make smart choices to improve the business climate in Seattle we'll continue to lose companies and jobs to the surrounding area and the great engine of our regional prosperity will slowly be dispersed.
The clock is ticking, it's time for bold and decisive action to meet the challenges we face. After twelve years of talk and endless process, it's time for a more results-oriented generation of leaders to join the Council and make sure that our processes yield progress and deliver on what this city needs.
3. How do we achieve density around light rail stations where neighbors oppose upzones?
One of the things we have to recognize is that we'll never make everybody happy. More people are coming to Seattle. We could simply say we won't allow any more housing to be built, but then we'd end up pricing young people out of the market and finding it difficult to attract and retain the talented workforce that's so vital to a vibrant economy. Also, part of the responsibility of a leader is to make decisions for the future, and that includes balancing the needs of future generations against the desires of some who are here now.
I do think, however, that we can accomplish greater density in our urban villages and urban centers while improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods. These two are not mutually exclusive. Who wouldn't like to be able to walk to great cafés, restaurants, shops, etc.? This can be a win-win for those of us who are already here and those who will come to join us.
4. What specific piece of legislation would you seek to pass if elected to the city council?
I've made more than twenty specific policy proposals which I've consolidated into a single document, sort of a roadmap to an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable Seattle. That document goes public tomorrow, but I'll attach a copy of it here so you guys can have a first look. I'll give three specific pieces of legislation, one for each of the three key issue areas I'd like to focus on:
For a better economy I'm proposing the establishment of a local currency along the lines of BerkShares in Massachussetts, which I'm calling Emerald Dollars, which will help keep our money invested right here in the local business that are the engines of economic prosperity and innovation.
For better development, greater affordability and more livable neighborhoods I'm proposing we replace our overly complex and bureaucratic planning and land use code with "smartcode" that encourages walkability and includes design guidelines and greater flexibility that frees architects to design solutions that fit the specific neighborhood location rather than the one size fits all cookie cuttur construction we've seen in the last decade. This has been adopted in other communities and Seattle in particular would benefit from it's adoption here. It's time we fix our broken land use system so we can start designing more beautiful and functional buildings that compliment the great natural beauty of this region, rather than just the next round of future tenements.
For better transportation I'm proposing that we develop an actual transportation system that will serve Seattle for the next century or more, including a rail-based rapid transit system as the backbone to connect our urban villages and urban centers to each other, streetcar connectors along key business corridors to allow people to get back and forth easily without a car, and bus circulators to get people who don't live within walking distance to a transit station. This whole system needs to work together if we're going to make it easy for people to get around without cars, and mesh with the network of greenways I've proposed with bicycle paths separated from both moving traffic and parked cars to permit our families and elderly to also get around by bicycle safely.
5. Do you support the tunnel, why or why not?
The tunnel was not my preferred option and I see it as a tremendous misallocation of public resources. While it's important to maintain and enhance our existing road infrastructure, I believe we should be saving major investments for transportation solutions for the next century rather than holdovers from the last century. Portland is making the kinds of investments that will make it a great place to live even in a world of increasingly scare oil supplies. They've built a light rail system with a new line that just opened in mid September. And they're using federal stimulus funds to enhance bicycle paths and walkability in their neighborhoods. That's the sort of smart development I'd like to see here.
The tunnel is more of a state issue than a city issue, however—Seattle's portion of the costs are costs are for seawall replacement and utility relocation that will need to take place no matter what solution is implemented. The one silver lining in all of this, and it is significant, is the opportunity to reconnect downtown with it's waterfront and create a really special public space, an opportunity we may not get again. It's hard enough to get a decision made in Seattle that I'm not inclined to re-open the debate on this issue unless there are significant developments in terms of costs, safety or mobility.
6. The King County Council recently extended the “lifeboat” of human and social services through the end of the year. But next year the county faces another $50 million shortfall—and will be forced to cut services yet again. Should the city step in to help fund these programs if the county can no longer fund them?
I think the ciity should step in to the extent possible in tough times like these, particularly for services that are provided to residents of Seattle. Unlike a business, government services are in greater demand in times of economic hardship, which is why it's so important to maintain a lid on costs during good times so we can weather the bad times without making drastic cuts to services our residents depend on.
Some of the most prosperous years in Seattle's history were squandered and now we're faced with tough choices on social services. It didn't have to be this way, and we must do better going forward so we're better prepared.
7. The city council passed the Pedestrian master plan on Monday—and remains unfunded--yet the city is facing an estimated $72 million budget deficit. In future years, what would be your priority for the pedestrian master plan? What would you cut to fund it?
The Pedestrian Master Plan is key to creating a more walkable city that will help us meet the population, climate change and peak-oil related challenges we face. It should be fuly funded. As I mentioned above, Portland is using federal stimulus dollars to fund pedestrian improvements (meanwhile we're only asking for money for Mercer, which granted does include some pedestrian improvements though that is not at the core of the project). I happen to think we can fund these improvements without making cuts elsewhere. I believe the budget shortfall can be taken care of with a combination of re-evaluating middle and upper management positions within the city and implementing zero-based budgeting across the city so each department starts out justifying every dollar it's requesting. Money for pedestrian and other transportation improvements could come from a variety of sources, including federal stimulus funds, implementation of a transportation benefit district, or potentially from cost savings if we end up with a less expensive solution to the viaduct replacement.
For areas of the city that don't have sidewalks, I've proposed making it easier for neighborhoods to propose and create local improvement districts so that they can get sidewalks built more rapidly if they so choose. The city could provide matching funds, and this would be a fair approach to those infrastructure investments, since the areas that did get sidewalks were built by the developers who built them, meaning the costs were built into the initial purchase of those properties rather than borne by the city at-large.
8. As it stands, the noise ordinance allows new residents to challenge noisy bars—even bars that have operated for decades—that are audible in brand new buildings. Should long-established bars and clubs be exempt from residential noise rules in new buildings very close by?
Absolutely. That provision of the noise ordinance is ridiculous. I'll author the revision to exempt long-steablished bars and clubs from the noise ordinance, and will look into exempting entire areas from the ordinance. We need a vibrant and active nightlife in this city if we're going to attract and retain talented young people to Seattle. Part of what makes a city great is fun, and we need to respect and encourage that.
9. Where should we extend the streetcar line? First Hill? First Avenue? Where on First Hill should it go—near the hospitals or along 12th, or a forked hybrid plan?
Since the funding is already there for the First Hill line that should be the first extension, and I personally prefer the 12th Ave loop idea that has been proposed by residents on the Hill, so that it serves both Broadway and 12th Ave.
10. Do you believe we can avoid building a new jail? How?
Absolutely. If the County continues to change it's focus to diversion programs, and we fully fund our own community-based diversion programs we can reduce the number of people we're putting in jail at a greatly reduced direct cost to taxpayers and indirect costs to the economy.
We also need to empower our police to be able to send people to community diversion programs where they can be given a chance to avoid jail. The County needs to proceed with it's plans for a regional detention center in Kent, and we should help fund that.
to let him to it to me again.
** David --- comment on your WaMu experience, which might turn off voters.
Mary HAS been effective...She worked 8 years to get this new assignment plan for strong neighborhood schools adopted. This is a great move towards getting quality schools in every neighborhood for every student.
The Supreme court agreed with her position that race should not be used as a tie-breaker.
She fought successfully against charter school legislation and won--3 times.
See, Mary gets the big picture. For her it's always been the kids and quality schools. Not putting money in corporate pockets.
She challenged the fiscal chaos and corruption that continues to reign in the SPS..and was right on!
She demands that issues be seen through the lens of equity and challenges the placement of so many kids of color in special education. Is that their failure or that of of school system?
Mary Bass has it together. Her lone voice has been the reckoning tone to raise the issues that must be addressed if we are to have quality schools.
If there is no Mary to speak up for our kids--all our kids in all our schools--we will have a rubber stamp board of business executives trying to make the bottom line look good for their wealthy "investors"--those folks who spent over $100,000/ candidate in the last election (on campaigns that usually amount to $20,000) to buy their puppets.
Mary has a strong union backing and stands up for labor. Is that why so many business folk would like to see her out of office? You bet!
Mary is the only member of the current board who carries the wisdom of the past and SPS in her perspective. She's lived in Seattle all her life, has gone to public schools here, is a member of a family of highly respected educators, and has earned credibility in both the minority and European-based communities.
Re-elect Mary Bass for the sake of our schools and the students they serve!
It's not just that Mary votes "no" a lot by herself. It's that she's right!
I was so PO'd at the closing of schools last year. Mary Bass told everyone that we needed to take a look at demographics and that we weren't getting all the info we needed to make a wise decision about closures. She fought tooth and nail to prevent closures and, of course, was voted down.
Now the district has to spend--is it millions of dollars?--to reopen some schools that it has closed. Wasted money closing schools and now wasting more money reopening them. Mary knew this. she told them. But no one would listen.
She listened to the folks from the CD and found the answers to our questions.
If she could explain to us so clearly about what was going on in our schools, why didn't the other board members pay attention to her?
I think she's a threat to them with their business backgrounds and big money backers.
Mary Bass is the people's member on the board. she's behind our kids all the way.
You guys have it all Bass ackward, so to speak. Mary Bass is the conscience of the school board. she has my vote!
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For the ECB to imply that any of the 4,000 people laid off from WaMu, other than perhaps a few at the very, very top, had anything to do with the failure of WaMu shows a dangerous lack of knowledge about what actually happened there (and in the economy at large) and smears thousands of smart, hardworking and dedicated employees who worked long hours and gave their best to help make WaMu the only local bank not to get swallowed up by a larger competitor during two decades of banking consolidation; to create a banking experience that was recognized throughout the industry as the best in it's class; and to do that all in a way that showed our humanity:. What do I mean by showing our humanity? One of the primary reasons that non-profits are hurting so bad right now is because those ~4,000 employees donated a good chunk of our salaries to local charities. I'll defend my work and the work of my co-workers to the end, and I can tell you based on the quality we're seeing out of The Stranger these days that none of these clowns would have made the cut at WaMu. If I'd done work like that I would have been laid off in the first round of cuts, rather than getting promoted at the nearly unheard of rate (for a bank) of once per year.
The loss of WaMu is tragic for this region, and not only for those of us who worked there. The blow to our economy from the loss of those nearly 4,000 very high-payinhg jobs will be felt for decades to come, and is one of the reasons for my focus on revitalizing our local economy by focusing on small business development. The 20,000+ jobs that have been lost are largely highly skilled, intelligent workers who undoubtedly have much to contribute to our local economy. It was the aftermath of the Boeing SST failure that sowed the ground for the technology boom years later, and I think we have an opportunity to help launch a green technology boom out of the ashes of our financial system collapse.
Why are you endorsing Bob Rosenberger over Lloyd Hara? I have to disagree with this blanket endorsement - all other newspaper articles and blogs comment on how Rosenberger is funding his own campaign and making false white lies that he is endorsed by Mallahan (not that is much to brag about). Google is your friend. Hara is endorsed by the community and clearly more qualified for the position. Also, the Redmond reporter is biased against Hara and misquoting the facts...such as how Hara was supposed to stop scandals before he even entered office as port commissioner. http://lloydhara.com/factchecks/
She's considered ineffective because over 8 years, and numerous turnovers on the Board, she still can't put together a coalition. Her rambling is unintelligible, at best, and wants to do public-private partnerships with churches. Churches!!!!
My daughter goes to a District 5 school, and I want someone on the board to represent her EFFECTIVELY. Just casting a "no" vote doesn't matter if you can't instead work towards a better policy.
And the idea that because she went to public schools she understands is crap. In case you missed it, Kay Smith-Blum has children that just graduated from Seattle Public Schools. She has been a very effective fundraiser, worked with schools on curriculum issues all over the city, and comes in with strong ideas that are based on data and facts. Mary would just continue to be a lump that doesn't really do much of anything.
Ginsberg all the way!
A: when was the last time a Seattle City Council member sought and won higher office?
B: I've had the chance to speak with Mr. Rozencrantz on this very issue. He has stated, unequivocally, that he supports a woman's right to choose. He doesn't believe that doctors should be forced to perform elective abortions, or that medical staff should be forced into assisting on elective abortions, but I can't think of anyone working for a provider that was pro-life, and if they did, they're an idiot.
With respect to parental consent, he has plainly stated that he believes teenagers should consult with their parents. However, he also recognizes that there is a safety issue with some of these teenagers if they tell their parents they have sex, or are pregnant, and as such does not believe any law should require parental consent.
Instead, he thinks that government officials should focus on prevention of abortion through access to family planning services and education. If he's pro-life, than so is Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
That's a tired attack that Mr. Rosencrantz has made clear is untrue.
Now, on nightlife, Dominic is right on, and I don't think anyone, even the Rosencrantz camp would disagree there. Just stick to facts, not rumors, and you'll be a-ok!
50
"here are the candidates, make your own decision?"
How the fuck do you control an election by telling people to make their own decisions? The SECB has a fiduciary obligation to its shareholders to control elections, not just observe them.
That's funny, because I know a few other folks who used to work at Butch Blum, and absolutely love Kay.
The fact is that she has ideas, and her ideas are good ideas, and she will work tirelessly with her fellow board members to make schools better.
Her opponent hasn't done anything like that over the last eight years. Time for a change.
David - you got it - stay in the game - and run again if you don't take out goat guy silly smile blah blah Ricky.
Stay in David - you got it.
You make it so easy. Now, go smoke another joint while you contemplate the lame ineffective drooling you call The Stranger.
56
I'm voting for I-1033 because I don't trust milkweeds like Zemke.
Just to get everybody upset, I'm also REJECTING R-71.
SB5688 is badly written legislation. It needs a rewrite and the Pro-R71 folks are being misled. I read it and there is no reason to redefine husband and wife. The Pro-R71 folks will not talk about this point – I asked directly on a live radio show why the legislation redefined husband and wife in the RCW, and the Pro-R71 PR gal denied it did. I does over 75 times I LOOKED IT UP,
5688 will be job stimulus for the legal world. Cash this state cannot afford. Screw the parasitic lawyers, send this legislation back to the red ink hell from which it came;
Reject R-71
Vote Yes on I-1033
They just fill the first bubble!
20 out of 23 (on my ballot) of their endorsements/votes were the first option.
They are so smart!
This, despite the overwhelming feeling that I'm missing out on an inside joke. Can someone explain it to me?
This, despite the overwhelming feeling that I'm missing out on an inside joke. Can someone explain it to me?
What makes Scott Peterson unqualified? Certainly not his 9 wins out of 10 appeals in Snohomish County. No, its because he sues lawyers. Want to hear that again? HE SUES LAWYERS!
It looks like all the lawyers have ganged upon on him because everytime those lawyers violate the rights of Scott's clients, he sues them in federal court.
Gotta love it. A lawyer, who sues lawyers, is running for judge. And all the lawyers in Snohomish County are running scared.
Dear Strange: please cover this race! Two candidates have run ins with the law, one candidate claims to support "small businesses" like his employer Farmers Insurance, and one candiate sues lawyers.
APPROVE REF 71!!!!
VOTE NO ON 1033!!!!
69
Tell those politicians (who derive their power by spend your money on some of the most wasteful bullshit ever invented) to cut all the fat out and use our money to pay for whats needed, schools and teachers for starters... not massive administrative burdens.
Just a quick e-mail to let you know that I'll be voting against Ref. 71, though I am totally for it.
I am sick and tired of The Strangers callous, clueless non-stance towards maritime and labor interests. You "non-endorsement" of Max Vekich is both offensive and clueless. Somehow your writers can discuss an issue intelligently when it revolves around gay rights, but are unable to give a shit or write intelligently about an industry, maritime, that is a major employer in this city. Your sententious, monomaniacal, clueless commentary has consequences. Wake up!
Vote for Ref. 71? Hell no. I might as well vote for used cooking oil.
Here's all he has to do to win.
(1) Run ads and every time he speaks, say this:
"Joe Mallahan is a good man, but hasn't voted 13 times in 9 years, including two primaries for the very office he's trying to get elected to.
"He has not done anything for the city of Seattle, not one civic or neighborhood achievement.
"Although raised in Everett, Joe moved to Seattle 9 years ago after living in Chicago and other areas for many years."
Then Mike could easily point out the various public, civic achievements he has made on various levies and other issues that he has won on at the ballot box and other areas.
This should not be hard --- he's running against a nice man with good values but someone who has contributed nothing to his city, not even his vote.
Our city has serious fucking economic issues to consider. These issues are (gasp) bigger than whether or not people get fucking bike lanes, and much more serious than the stupid idea that Seattle is the "global environmental decider." People in this city think that environmental issues are number one. I cannot wait until you are the victim of a serious crime, and see how understaffed our resources in the city are (on all levels) and when you whine to me about it I am going to say: "Oh really? Well hop on your Marin bike, eat some fucking almonds, and go buy an organic cotton top."
Lessay a Seattle lib type made a dicey decision to join the military, of all (well, SO many/most) things anathema to said person's values. And, let's also say that this person, for mailing address reasons, is now registered to vote in a place like, say, Woodinville.
I submit that this voter would have less regular access to information concerning candidates and issues that concern him/her. I, therefore, suggest that the election board (for those of us that have been readers/nodders/frequent agree-ers for years but might, er, know someone in the previously detailed milieu) make some extra-municipality-related suggestions?
King County's exoskeleton, methinks, might benefit from your guidance more than the heart of the city's electorate.
Lessay a Seattle lib type made a dicey decision to join the military, of all (well, SO many/most) things anathema to said person's values. And, let's also say that this person, for mailing address reasons, is now registered to vote in a place like, say, Woodinville.
I submit that this voter would have less regular access to information concerning candidates and issues that concern him/her. I, therefore, suggest that the election board (for those of us that have been readers/nodders/frequent agree-ers for years but might, er, know someone in the previously detailed milieu) make some extra-municipality-related suggestions?
King County's exoskeleton, methinks, might benefit from your guidance more than the heart of the city's electorate.
These mayoral choices are both awful, and in four years we'll be voting the winner out in a landslide.
But tilting at windmills got McGinn this far - maybe he can try to stop the train tunnel to the U District or something, to keep the anti-hole crowd active. (Why do we philosophically oppose holes anyway?)
XOXO
Gossip Girl
Romans 1:26-29 Reject R-71
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Washington DC's AFSCME -- $329,519 and counting
Washington DC's NEA -- $334,775.62 and counting
Washington DC's AFL-CIO -- $25,000 and counting
Washington DC's IBEW -- $50,000 and counting
Washington DC's Int'l Union of Firefighters -- $25,000 and counting
SEIU -- $290,000 and counting
WA Council of County & City Employees -- $122,500 and counting
WA Federation of State -- $75,000 and counting
AFL-CIO WA St Labor Council -- $28,632.22 and counting
Washington DC's Int'l Union -- $75,000 and counting
Why on earth does ANYONE in our nations capital give a damn about I-1033 to the point of sending HUGE checks to stop it. What’s more interesting, SEIU a group with strong ties to scandal plagued ACRON gave $290,000+ to defeat I-1033.
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With McGinn its like you're trying to have your cake and eat it too. but the cake is made out of tofu with little chunks of granola in it. I'll eat it but I WONT LIKE IT.
Remember what happened to Marie Antoinette. Better a populist soft-talking former corporate attorney who couldn't live with himself helping the bad, corrupt system and CHANGED than the guy who's to blind with his personal success to see how much he props up the USA's failed approaches.
Envision a future with a real vision: McGinn ALL THE WAY.
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