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Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. editor@thestranger.com (The Stranger Editor) webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 22 May 2013 05:30:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/43rd-district-dems-endorse-ed-murray-for-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/43rd-district-dems-endorse-ed-murray-for-mayor Dominic Holden <p>Surprising exactly nobody, the 43rd District Democrats tonight awarded their sole endorsement in the Seattle mayor's race to Ed Murray, <strong>who has represented the 43rd District in the legislature for 18 years</strong>. </p> <p>Murray took 65 percent of the vote among the party activists in a second ballot (60 percent are required for an endorsement, and in the first ballot he came up just shy). <strong>Runners up followed in this order</strong>: Mayor Mike McGinn, former city council member Peter Steinbrueck, Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell, neighborhood activist Kate Martin, and, finally, Bow-Tie-Wearer-in-Chief Charlie Staadecker. </p> <p>Predicable as the vote may be, this represents <strong>solid momentum for Murray</strong>&#8212;thus far unmatched with the district Democrats. He's been endorsed by the 46th District Dems (split with Steinbrueck), and, since Council Member Burgess has dropped out of the race, the 36th District Dems' executive board has recommended their members grant Murray a sole endorsement when they meet tomorrow.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/43rd-district-dems-endorse-ed-murray-for-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16839976&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/43rd-district-dems-endorse-ed-murray-for-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16839976&id=comments 6 Tue, 21 May 2013 22:17:12 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/gregoire-and-royer-endorse-murray http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/gregoire-and-royer-endorse-murray Goldy <p>Former Governor Chris Gregoire and former Seattle Mayor Charlie Royer (who last ran for office when Anna was in diapers) have both <strong>endorsed state Senator Ed Murray</strong> in his bid to unseat current Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. </p> <p>In a prepared statement, Gregoire lauded Murray for <strong>"building coalitions no one believed were possible."</strong> (You mean like that Majority Coalition Caucus that now controls the state senate?)</p> <p>Whatever. Good for Ed. Although we all know that here in Seattle, there is only one endorsement that really matters. And the SECB endorsements won't be published until July 17.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/gregoire-and-royer-endorse-murray#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16835340&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/gregoire-and-royer-endorse-murray?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16835340&id=comments 10 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:04:40 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/mcginn-and-harrell-garner-barbs-then-dual-endorsement-from-37th-ld http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/mcginn-and-harrell-garner-barbs-then-dual-endorsement-from-37th-ld Goldy <p>After a contentious endorsement meeting in which a Mike McGinn supporter questioned Bruce Harrell's residency, and Harrell supporters played the race card, <strong>McGinn and Harrell walked away with a dual endorsement</strong> from the 37th Legislative District Democrats.</p> <p>So, you know, it's all good.</p> <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:212px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/56c4/1369152430-mcginn_tweets.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/56c4/1369152430-mcginn_tweets.jpg" alt="Photo of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Tweeting a photo of me Tweeting about McGinn." title="Photo of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Tweeting a photo of me Tweeting about McGinn." width="200" height="267" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">Goldy &#124; The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption">Photo of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Tweeting a photo of me Tweeting about McGinn.</li></ul></div></p> <p>You could tell right away from the reaction of the packed crowd that it was going to come down to a duel between McGinn and Harrell, but Senator Ed Murray's poor performance was still a bit surprising. Quite frankly, <strong>Murray got his ass kicked</strong> on the first ballot, receiving only 8 votes out of the 75 cast, compared to 12 for Peter Steinbrueck, 19 for Harrell, and 34 for McGinn. Ouch. (Though that's still better than Kate Martin, who was handing out flyers at the door, but still couldn't manage to find a 37th LD member to nominate her. Double ouch.)</p> <p>Still, this was an endorsement that McGinn and Harrell needed a helluva lot more than Murray. McGinn has enjoyed strong support from the 37th's immigrant communities, which provided an important base for him back in 2009. As for Harrell, this is his home territory, and it would have been a bit embarrassing for our only non-white city council member to lose the endorsement of Seattle's least white legislative district. (Earlier in the evening 37th LD state Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos had emailed her endorsement of McGinn, a move that some members perceived as an attack against Harrell.)</p> <p>With Murray out of the running, the LD proceeded to round two, and that's when the pro/con speakers started getting more con than pro. Former state Representative Dawn Mason, always good for a little invective, accused McGinn of "writing African Americans out" of the Family and Education Levy, while others brought up SPD abuses in a distinctly racial context. Yet another 37th stalwart objected to the phrase "communities of color" as a term that marginalizes African Americans. A McGinn supporter responded by raising the long whispered question of whether Harrell actually lives in the community, as a collective murmur rose in opposition to even touching the topic. (Harrell and his wife own a ritzy Bellevue condo at which they're rumored to sleep the bulk of their nights.)</p> <p>Nobody mentioned Steinbrueck, and it showed on the 2nd ballot: McGinn 36, Harrell 29, Steinbrueck 11. Still no 60 percent threshold, and goodbye Steinbrueck.</p> <p>By the third ballot the lines were clearly drawn and the invective got tired: <strong>McGinn 36, Harrell 33</strong>, and no endorsement. So by LD rules a dual endorsement was put up to a yes or no vote. It overwhelmingly passed, and everything was right with the world again. That's just the way the 37th rolls. By far the most diverse in the city, 37th LD meetings can be more raucous and less polite than the other LDs, but then there are plenty of hugs and handshakes afterwards. That's part of the purpose of politics after all: to voice our differences and then work them out.</p> <p>If there's anything that stands out from the balloting it's the way the voters appeared to split into <strong>McGinn vs. anybody-but-McGinn camps</strong>. McGinn started strong but gained little ground in subsequent ballots, with almost all of the Murray and Steinbrueck supporters flocking to Harrell, the last challenger standing. It would be a mistake to suggest that LD members are a statistically meaningful sample of the electorate at large, but this dynamic is largely what the political know-it-alls predict, and exactly why they suggest that McGinn's low but leading standing in the polls spells imminent doom for him in November, if not August. We'll see.</p> <p>The rest of the endorsements were uncontentious and almost entirely pro-incumbent. Brian Carver made a decent case for himself in challenging four-term Seattle City Council incumbent (and 37th LD member) Richard Conlin, but Conlin won the endorsement easily, 41 to 26. Albert Shen came off as an energetic and affable candidate&#8212;and with all the racial identity stuff in play he might have expected to do well in an LD with such a large Asian community&#8212;but one-term incumbent council member Mike O'Brien effortlessly prevailed, 44 to 27.</p> <p>In fact, the only incumbent (of sorts) not to win the 37th's endorsement was recently appointed Port of Seattle Commissioner Stephanie Bowman. Despite hailing from the nearby 11th LD, Bowman didn't show and nobody nominated her. But then, she's being challenged by the 37th LD's popular chair, Michael Wolfe, so Bowman stood no chance of winning the 37th's endorsement.</p> <p>So, apart from they mayoral fireworks, no surprises.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/mcginn-and-harrell-garner-barbs-then-dual-endorsement-from-37th-ld#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16829560&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/21/mcginn-and-harrell-garner-barbs-then-dual-endorsement-from-37th-ld?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16829560&id=comments 23 McGinn and Harrell Garner Barbs, then Dual Endorsement from 37th LD Photo of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Tweeting a photo of me Tweeting about McGinn. The Stranger Tue, 21 May 2013 09:26:24 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/mcginn-leads-in-new-king-5-poll http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/mcginn-leads-in-new-king-5-poll Goldy <p>A new poll in Seattle's mayoral race conducted this weekend on behalf of KING-5 News, shows <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/McGinn-leads-Seattle-mayor-poll-208158311.html">Mayor Mike McGinn retaining a slight lead</a> in his hotly contested fight to retain his office.</p> <p><table><tr><td>Mike McGinn</td><td>22 percent</td></tr><tr><td>Peter Steinbrueck</td><td>17 percent</td></tr><tr><td>Ed Murray</td><td>15 percent</td></tr><tr><td>Bruce Harrell</td><td>12 percent</td></tr><tr><td>Kate Martin</td><td>4 percent</td></tr><tr><td>Charlie Staadecker</td><td>4 percent</td></tr><tr><td>Mary Martin</td><td>3 percent</td></tr><tr><td>Undecided</td><td>23 percent</td></tr></table></p> <p>The survey of 522 registered voters was conducted after Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess dropped out of the race.</p> <p>The good news for McGinn is that despite the many reporters of his political death, he continues to lead the field. <a href="mailto:http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Poll-Seattle-mayor-in-tight-race-for-re-election-196072651.html">A previous KING5/SurveyUSA poll</a> from March also showed McGinn with a small lead over declared challengers. The bad news for McGinn is that after nearly four years in office, he still trails "Undecided."</p> <p>Objectively, <strong>22 percent is a pretty shitty number for an incumbent</strong>. Then again, the closer we get to the primary, McGinn's numbers don't look all that bad as long he remains in the top two.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/mcginn-leads-in-new-king-5-poll#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16822804&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/mcginn-leads-in-new-king-5-poll?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16822804&id=comments 29 Mon, 20 May 2013 12:10:11 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/seattle-has-a-three-way-mayors-race http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/seattle-has-a-three-way-mayors-race Dominic Holden <p>Since Tim Burgess dropped out Friday and Peter Steinbrueck has been crowned king of the NIMBYs, it's looking more and more like a three-way race for mayor, at least according to our <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/slog-super-poll-who-should-be-mayor">legally binding, always-infallible, impossible-to-be-abused-by-campaigns-that-astroturf-it-on-Twitter Slog poll.</a> </p> <p>Speaking of which: The poll closes at 3:30 p.m. today. </p> <p>As of this morning, with 35.9 percent of the vote, Mayor <strong>Mike McGinn</strong> holds a gossamer thin lead over state senator <strong>Ed Murray</strong>, who's got 34.5 percent of the vote. Meanwhile,. Seattle City Council member <strong>Bruce Harrell</strong> has 21.6 percent of Slog's love. </p> <p>But former council member Peter Steinbrueck trails with a anemic 5.4 percent&#8212;and <strong>none of the rest cracked even 1 percent</strong>. </p> <p><a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/slog-super-poll-who-should-be-mayor">GO VOTE!</a></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/seattle-has-a-three-way-mayors-race#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16821755&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/20/seattle-has-a-three-way-mayors-race?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16821755&id=comments 27 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:46:00 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/slog-super-poll-who-should-be-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/slog-super-poll-who-should-be-mayor Dominic Holden <p>The deadline for candidate filing is mere minutes away, and since our <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/who-should-be-mayor">last Slog poll</a>, there's been a <strong>new alignment of power</strong> in the mayor's race. First, in <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/tim-burgess-drops-out">today's big news</a>, Council Member Tim Burgess is dropping out. Meanwhile, the long-shot, capitalism-smashing socialist Mary Martin recently jumped in. And finally, <strong>two completely random people filed this afternoon</strong>. The first never-heard-of-'em is named Joey Gray, who is apparently with a group called Cyclistas, and the next is Doug McQuaid (he ran against&#8212;and lost against&#8212;Susan Owens for the state supreme court last year). Welcome, radicals!</p> <p>That makes this list&#8212;provided no one else files in the next few minutes&#8212;the likely lineup on <strong>your primary ballot</strong>:</p> <p>1. <a href="http://info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/candidatesonballot/contests/candidatescontactinfo.aspx?candid=20124&type=City+of+Seattle&subtype=Mayor&subsubtype=&tp=fl&eid=1256&listtype=FILING&iPid=0#c20124">Joey Gray</a><br />2. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15754435">Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell</a><br />3. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/12/17/kate-martin-is-running-for-mayor">Kate Martin</a><br />4. <a href="http://www.kuow.org/post/pocket-guide-seattle-mayors-race">Mary Martin</a><br />5. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/mike-mcginn-is-running-for-reelection/Content?oid=15707860">Mayor Mike McGinn</a><br />6. <a href="http://post.thestranger.com/seattle/Blogs/Admin/Post?mode=entry&blogid=21233">Doug McQuaid</a><br />7. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/ed-murray-wants-to-be-seattles-first-gay-mayor/Content?oid=15449817">State senator Ed Murray</a><br />8. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/09/30/charlie-staadecker-and-his-bow-tie-announce-their-candidacy-for-mayor">Charlie Staadecker</a><br />9. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/peter-steinbrueck-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15564342">Former city council member Peter Steinbrueck</a></p> <p>Why wait till August? Vote now!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/slog-super-poll-who-should-be-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16794836&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/slog-super-poll-who-should-be-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16794836&id=comments 48 Fri, 17 May 2013 16:29:57 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/tim-burgess-drops-out http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/tim-burgess-drops-out Dominic Holden <p><small><em>Originally posted at 1:33 pm and moved up with updates. </em></small></p> <p>Tim Burgess withdrew his bid for mayor today, the last day candidates are eligible to file election campaigns, thereby leaving a wide-open gap for candidates vying for conservative votes and funding. </p> <p>The Seattle City Council member took a <strong>parting shot at Mayor Mike McGinn</strong>, naturally. "It is critically important that we elect a new mayor," he said in a statement this afternoon. "However, with so many qualified candidates in the field, my continued candidacy may dilute the chance of achieving the positive change Seattle needs. After much deliberation, I have chosen not to continue as a candidate. Instead, I will continue to serve this city that I love from my position on the City Council, the most rewarding job of my life."</p> <p>Although the statement sounds altruistic, it seems <strong>Burgess knew <em>he</em> couldn't win</strong>. </p> <p>From his <a href="http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2012/11/28/mayoral-candidate-tries-to-woo-the-stranger-but-offends-them-instead/">botched announcement</a> last November to this abrupt end, Burgess's campaign never caught the tailwind many expected. He was considered a leading challenger last year&#8212;a sort of mayor in waiting, after Mayor McGinn's two years of floundering&#8212;but McGinn seems to have found sea legs at City Hall, and a pack of heavyweight contenders crowded into the race in January and February. In particular, state senator Ed Murray and to a lesser extent Council Member Bruce Harrell have emerged in the race as safe bets for institutional backers that represent downtown business, and, unlike Burgess, can't be portrayed as conservative outliers (Burgess infamously sponsored a controversial aggressive panhandling bill that failed in 2010).</p> <p>Burgess has also been <strong>unraveling this week</strong>. </p> <p>After the news that the 36th District&#8212;Burgess's home district&#8212;would <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/who-are-the-best-dems-running-for-mayor-group-gives-early-nod-to-murray-and-burgess">split its endorsement</a> between him and Murray, yesterday came the news from PubliCola that Burgess <a href="http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profiles/publicola/articles/campaign-fizz-burgess-fires-consultant-may-2013">fired his spokesman</a>. And then the 46th District Democrats, who represent the relatively wealthy, white district of northeast Seattle that seems like Burgess's base, <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/dems-from-46th-district-endorse-murray-steinbrueck">didn't endorse him at all</a>. Also the city council's biggest advocate to bring back the Sonics, Burgess took a blow when the <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/15/fucking-nba-rejects-kings-move-to-seattle">NBA nixed the deal Wednesday</a>. </p> <p>Wednesday night was also a <strong>poor, petulant showing for Burgess</strong>. I was emceeing a mayoral straw poll at the Phinney Ridge Community Center when I asked Burgess about his divisive actions in the last few years that belie his campaign theme of collaboration. Specifically, Burgess booted the city budget director Beth Goldberg from his finance meetings last fall. I said it appeared unprecedented. Burgess <strong>insisted I was wrong</strong>; he said he blocked the budget director from only one meeting, and then, apparently flustered after the questioning, he told me to "go fuck yourself." Granted, I had it coming: I was wearing a shirt that said "The NBA can go fuck itself." But he didn't say it like a joke&#8212;he seemed pissed. And when I followed up by e-mail to ask if he could prove I was wrong&#8212;that kicking out the budget director had precedent and that it was only one meeting&#8212;he <strong>didn't reply</strong>. City records show that Burgess held seven budget meetings without the budget director, not just one. In other words, he was wrong, he was angry, and then he went silent. <strong>Not very mayoral.</strong> </p> <p>Burgess had raised more money that anyone else in the race ($232,000, according to the latest election reports), but <strong>most of it was already spent</strong>, with a $100,250 reported balance. Meanwhile, Murray's fundraising has been frozen through the legislative session, and <strong>Murray is widely expected to be a fundraising power house</strong> through the summer months leading up to the August primary. </p> <p>Paradoxically, Burgess quitting <strong>could benefit Mayor McGinn</strong> more than anyone else in the primary. Although McGinn is generally considered to be on the liberal end of the spectrum of candidates, he got 34 percent of the Republican support in a March <a href="http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=b7cf3431-9494-4f20-a69e-dee8c3fb3ab1">SurveyUSA poll</a>. Burgess was second among Republicans with 15 percent. If those fiscally conservative voters flock to McGinn&#8212;who's run a tight budget and famously fought the expensive deep-bore tunnel project&#8212;it may give him the boost needed to push through to the general election.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/tim-burgess-drops-out#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16793098&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/tim-burgess-drops-out?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16793098&id=comments 41 Fri, 17 May 2013 14:43:45 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/dems-from-46th-district-endorse-murray-steinbrueck http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/dems-from-46th-district-endorse-murray-steinbrueck Dominic Holden <p>Last night, the 46th District Democrats&#8212;the party's grassroots apparatus in northeast Seattle&#8212;handed out a dual endorsement to two of the dudes running for mayor: former Seattle City Council member <strong>Peter Steinbrueck</strong> and state senator from the 43rd District <strong>Ed Murray</strong>. The 46th is the first to issue endorsements, but it's a good omen for Murray, who also got a recommendation from the 36th District Democrats' executive board <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/who-are-the-best-dems-running-for-mayor-group-gives-early-nod-to-murray-and-burgess">last week</a> (along with Council Member Tim Burgess). In related partisan enthusiasm, the 37th District Democrats are holding an endorsement meeting for their Southeast Seattle constituents on Monday.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/dems-from-46th-district-endorse-murray-steinbrueck#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16792675&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/17/dems-from-46th-district-endorse-murray-steinbrueck?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16792675&id=comments 4 Fri, 17 May 2013 12:10:52 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/murray-raises-103693-in-two-weeks-as-race-for-mayor-heats-up http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/murray-raises-103693-in-two-weeks-as-race-for-mayor-heats-up Goldy <p>If there's one thing we've always known about <strong>state Senator Ed Murray</strong>, it's that he has the potential to raise an awful lot of money awfully fast. And he didn't disappoint during the fundraising-freeze break between the end of the regular legislative session and today's start of the special session, <strong>raising $103,693 in only two weeks</strong> for his campaign to unseat Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.</p> <p>To put that in perspective, that's more than Tim Burgess, Bruce Harrell, and McGinn raised during the entire month of April. <em>Combined</em>.</p> <p>For an apples to apples comparison, following is a table of the mayoral fundraising totals through the end of April. (Note: It only includes Murray's April 29-30 totals, not the remaining $97,150 he's raised in May.)</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><strong>Seattle Mayor Fundraising Through April 30</div></strong><table><tr><th><strong>Candidate</strong></th><th><strong>Total Raised</strong></th><th><strong>Net Balance</strong></th></tr><tr><td>Burgess</td><td>$231,979</td><td>$100,250</td></tr><tr><td>McGinn</td><td>$181,133</td><td>$99,439</td></tr><tr><td>Staadecker</td><td>$152,355</td><td>$74,593</td></tr><tr><td>Murray</td><td>$123,973*</td><td>$55,303*</td></tr><tr><td>Harrell</td><td>$112,559</td><td>$55,908</td></tr><tr><td>Steinbrueck</td><td>$62,153</td><td>$37,843</td></tr><tr><td>Martin (Kate)</td><td>$2,947</td><td>$1,675</td></tr><tr><td>Martin (Mary)</td><td>$0</td><td>$0</td></tr></table><div style="text-align:center;"><small>(*Does not include the $97,150 Murray raised in May.)</small></div></p> <p>Add in his May totals and <strong>Murray has raised $221,123 total</strong>, likely bringing his net balance north of $140,000 (there's no word on his expenditures). That said, the other candidates have presumably been raising cash the past couple weeks as well, if at a dramatically slower pace. Now that the special session has started, Murray is prohibited from raising money again, giving the other candidates an opportunity to catch up.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/murray-raises-103693-in-two-weeks-as-race-for-mayor-heats-up#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16754067&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? Money http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/13/murray-raises-103693-in-two-weeks-as-race-for-mayor-heats-up?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16754067&id=comments 10 Mon, 13 May 2013 12:42:02 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/ed-murray-has-three-days-left-to-fundraise-for-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/ed-murray-has-three-days-left-to-fundraise-for-mayor Cienna Madrid <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:212px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/891d/1368204673-view1.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/891d/1368204673-view1.jpg" alt="Click to enlarge this stupid good view." title="Click to enlarge this stupid good view." width="200" height="150" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption">Click to enlarge this stupid good view.</li></ul></div>Last night, a few hundred barefoot and blazered men and women crowded into a condo rising 23 stories above Belltown to sing the praises of, and throw money at, Ed Murray. The wine was chilled. <strong>The strawberries were a touch unripe.</strong> Kennedy quotes flew through the air and the views were worth more than all my organs&#8212;including eggs!&#8212;combined.</p> <p>The event felt like a party more than a fundraiser for Murray's mayoral campaign: People excitedly toasted R-74 as if it were yesterday's victory, instead of last year's. They toasted Murray and his track record in Olympia. They toasted his upcoming marriage to long-time partner Michael Shiosaki, which Murray announced will take place four days after the August 6 primary this year. They lavished praise on Murray in questionable metaphor: <strong>"He's an orb,"</strong> one man told me. "He's on the fast track. He's the heavy favorite and he's running fast. This is what victory looks like."</p> <p>They cuttingly dismissing his competitors: "Look at Bruce's endorsement list&#8212;it's basically <strong>every person of color who's lost a race in the last 10 years</strong>."</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/c6b2/1368204528-screen_shot_2013-05-10_at_9.47.22_am.png" alt="Ed Murray, basking in the glow of adoration." title="Ed Murray, basking in the glow of adoration." width="500" height="259" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption">Ed Murray, runaway orb.</li></ul></div></p> <p>And McGinn? "We can do better," became the refrain of the night, a refrain echoed by Rep. Cyrus Habib (D-Bellevue) and Murray himself: "On the streets around this condo, people sleep because they have nowhere else to sleep," Murray said while stumping to the crowd. "We can do better."</p> <p>But as much as everyone loves a party, this was a fundraiser, and one an <strong>undercurrent of urgency</strong> that's been missing in the city's crowded clown-car of a mayor's race. You see, Murray has until <strong>midnight on Sunday</strong> to raise money for his mayoral campaign, after which he will turn back into a sweaty pumpkin known as <em>Senator</em> Ed Murray, a man tasked with drafting a new state budget with his colleagues around a $1.2 billion budget deficit.</p> <p>Sen. Murray can't raise campaign funds while the legislature is in its 30-day session, and with only $117,430 in recorded donations, he's trailing behind Tim Burgess (who's raised $194,559), McGinn ($153,781), and Charlie Staadecker ($132,126). </p> <p>The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission releases its new contribution numbers for all the candidates today, so those numbers could soon change. Nevertheless, "We must raise at least <strong>twice as much</strong> as the other guys raise in a month," explained Murray's campaign manager, Sandeep Kaushik, last night. "So that's what we're going to do."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/ed-murray-has-three-days-left-to-fundraise-for-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16728721&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/10/ed-murray-has-three-days-left-to-fundraise-for-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16728721&id=comments 23 Ed Murray has Three Days to Fundraise for Mayor Ed Murray, basking in the glow of adoration. The Stranger Fri, 10 May 2013 09:53:38 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/who-are-the-best-dems-running-for-mayor-group-gives-early-nod-to-murray-and-burgess http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/who-are-the-best-dems-running-for-mayor-group-gives-early-nod-to-murray-and-burgess Dominic Holden <p>The executive board of the influential <strong>36th District Democrats</strong>, which represent the neighborhoods of Queen Anne, Magnolia, and Ballard, recommended last night that the organization endorse two challengers in the mayor's race: Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess and 43rd District state senator Ed Murray. Assuming the endorsement is ratified by a majority of membership on May 22, the group will use its 150 precinct committee officers (PCOs) for a <strong>door-knocking campaign</strong> to support them. The 36th District had the highest voter turnout in Washington State last year.</p> <p>Incumbent <strong>Mayor Mike McGinn didn't get the executive board's nod</strong>, which isn't inherently surprising. The group also dissed incumbent former mayor Greg Nickels <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/07/09/36th-district-dem-endorsements">in the 2009 race</a> (they endorsed McGinn and Joe Mallahan instead). </p> <p>But the board did recommend incumbents in every other race, from city council to King County sheriff. Their recommendations are listed <a href="http://36th.org/endorsements/">here</a>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/who-are-the-best-dems-running-for-mayor-group-gives-early-nod-to-murray-and-burgess#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16720710&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/09/who-are-the-best-dems-running-for-mayor-group-gives-early-nod-to-murray-and-burgess?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16720710&id=comments 14 Thu, 09 May 2013 11:47:50 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/the-first-mayoral-race-scandal-pizza-peter-dines-out http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/the-first-mayoral-race-scandal-pizza-peter-dines-out Anna Minard <p>Spotted in Wallingford this weekend...</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/60bb/1367860620-steincar.png" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/60bb/1367860620-steincar.png" alt="steincar.png" title="" width="500" height="501" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>Does mayoral candidate Peter Steinbrueck even <strong>make his own pizza</strong>, as <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/30/hope-and-no-change-first-mayoral-forum-promises-a-spirited-debate-about-nothing">he has publicly claimed</a>? Is this campaign car parked right outside a pizza parlor there to pick up pizza in the dead of <strike>night</strike> noon and ferret it away to an undisclosed kitchen, where Pizza Peter will pass it off as his own?</p> <p>And what are all those bumper stickers? <strong>HIPPIE CONSPIRACY.</strong></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/the-first-mayoral-race-scandal-pizza-peter-dines-out#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16685401&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/the-first-mayoral-race-scandal-pizza-peter-dines-out?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16685401&id=comments 19 The First Mayoral Race Scandal: "Pizza Peter" Dines Out?!? The Stranger Mon, 06 May 2013 10:20:59 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/tim-burgess-if-only-all-women-were-as-good-as-his-daughters-there-wouldnt-be-a-wage-gap http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/tim-burgess-if-only-all-women-were-as-good-as-his-daughters-there-wouldnt-be-a-wage-gap Cienna Madrid <p>Unlike Goldy, I didn't attend the <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/30/hope-and-no-change-first-mayoral-forum-promises-a-spirited-debate-about-nothing">first mayoral panel</a> of the season on Monday, but I've been slowly making my way through the Seattle Channel video archive of the event by piece and parcel, with my own bucket of stale popcorn.</p> <p>And there's one question&#8212;or rather, one response&#8212;that I don't think has gotten nearly enough attention. It comes at about the <a href="http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=5551304&file=1">52:30 mark</a>, when moderator C.R. Douglas asks Charlie Staadecker, Tim Burgess, and Bruce Harrell to respond to this question:</p> <p><strong>Why do you think Seattle has <a href="http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Wage_Gap_Seattle.pdf">the worst gender pay gap in the US</a> and how do you plan to address it? <br /></strong><br />I really wish all candidates had responded to this question. Amidst fluffy questions about what people had stored on their iphones, professional regrets, or what their fantasy legacy as mayor might be, this was one of the most concrete questions of the night&#8212;the rare question that gave candidates a chance to talk policy while addressing an issue of injustice affecting half their voter base. </p> <p>As it was, two out of three candidates <strong>flubbed their responses, hard</strong>.* Staadecker admitted that he didn't know the issue existed: "First of all, I will confess, I was not aware as a city that we were the worst in the United States. Therefore, if women aren&#8217;t being paid, if there&#8217;s a glass ceiling, that has to be through education and skills."</p> <p>Worse, Burgess said this: <strong>"Well, if everybody had daughters like I did the problem would self correct, eventually."</strong> In other words, most women must not be as smart as Burgess's daughters? Or work as hard as them? Or something? </p> <p>To be clear, I'm all for tasteless jokes&#8212;I make them, I love them. But if you're going to lead with a tasteless joke, you'd better have a solid answer to back it up. Burgess doesn't. Instead he throws some rambling praise for early learning programs, which are great but have nothing to do with addressing the gender/wage gap. At all. At least Staadecker had the grace to admit he didn't know what the fuck he was talking about. Burgess's answer was more than embarrassing; <strong>it was insulting, dismissive, <em>and</em> off point</strong>. </p> <p>Only Harrell managed an articulate answer, for which he was rewarded with the biggest applause of the night: "The answer is simple&#8212;<strong>institutional practices</strong>. We haven&#8217;t paid attention to the institutional practices. Here&#8217;s the difference between the mayor and myself&#8212;when I read the report, I immediately went into action. <strong>I&#8217;ve asked the Seattle Women&#8217;s commission to develop a work plan with me to look at the policy changes we have to do</strong>."</p> <p>I have no doubt this question will come up again and when it does, Burgess and Staadecker will be ready for it. Everyone will. The seven candidates fighting for McGinn's seat have months to groom themselves and polish their answers to suit our ears, which is why questions like this, which catch candidates completely, embarrassingly unaware (you want us to talk about women troubles? wha?), matter so much.</p> <p><em>*Read their full, unedited responses after the jump.</em></p> <blockquote><p><strong>Why do you think Seattle has the worst gender pay gap in the US and how will you address it?</strong></p> <p><strong>Charlie Staadecker</strong>: First of all, I will confess, I was not aware as a city that we were the worst in the United States. Therefore, if women aren&#8217;t being paid, if there&#8217;s a glass ceiling, that has to be through education and skills. We&#8217;ve got to have equal skills and equal pay. Does the city need to mandate that, I think that would be a mistake. But I think that is based on, very much on education, expanding the opportunities in both biotech and life sciences. I wish I had a clearer answer for you on this one. I think it takes a city where employers recognize the value of women to succeed as much as men.</p> <p><strong>Tim Burgess</strong>: Well, if everybody had daughters like I did the problem would self correct, eventually. This report came out just a few weeks ago and it&#8217;s obviously very discouraging and I don&#8217;t know all of the factors that contribute to that in our city but it goes back to education. I&#8217;m a huge advocate for early, early, early interventions. We should start at birth, not at age five or even where Headstart begins at age four. It also requires an acknowledgement of the problem. Like Charlie, I just learned about this a few weeks ago when this report came out. I think we pride ourselves on making progress on issues like that and obviously we have a long ways to go.</p> <p><strong>Bruce Harrell</strong>: The answer is simple&#8212;institutional practices. [big applause] We haven&#8217;t paid attention to the institutional practices. Here&#8217;s the difference between the mayor and myself&#8212;when I read the report, I immediately went into action. I&#8217;ve asked the Seattle Women&#8217;s commission to develop a work plan with me to look at the policy changes we have to do. Years ago, a woman walked into office when I was a practicing lawyer and she says, &#8220;I work at Boeing and I&#8217;m underpaid compared to my colleagues.&#8221; I met with several women. That meeting turned into a class action lawsuit representing all the women. My candidacy is about that, when I look at the injustices that occur. It&#8217;s not like a lot of folks are saying, &#8220;hey, let&#8217;s smoke a cigar and discriminate against women.&#8221; That&#8217;s not what occurs, what occurs is that we don&#8217;t pay attention to the patterns and the disparate impacts. So we need a proactive leader who&#8217;s bold enough to propose new solutions. The STEM programs&#8212;my colleague Tim is absolutely right, we have to look at the pathways to success for everyone. We have exciting opportunities but it takes intent, intent, intent.</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/tim-burgess-if-only-all-women-were-as-good-as-his-daughters-there-wouldnt-be-a-wage-gap#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16645961&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? The Ladies http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/01/tim-burgess-if-only-all-women-were-as-good-as-his-daughters-there-wouldnt-be-a-wage-gap?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16645961&id=comments 24 Wed, 01 May 2013 15:20:06 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/30/hope-and-no-change-first-mayoral-forum-promises-a-spirited-debate-about-nothing http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/30/hope-and-no-change-first-mayoral-forum-promises-a-spirited-debate-about-nothing Goldy <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/0b53/1367346006-staadecker.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/0b53/1367346006-staadecker.jpg" alt="Charlie Staadecker wins my vote for being the first at the table for mayoral forum that started a half-hour late." title="Charlie Staadecker wins my vote for being the first at the table for mayoral forum that started a half-hour late." width="500" height="254" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">Goldy &#124; The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption">Charlie Staadecker wins my vote for being the first at the table for a mayoral forum that started a half-hour late.</li></ul></div></p> <p>A standing room only crowd overflowed into the corridors at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle Community College last night for <strong>the first public forum of the 2013 mayoral campaign</strong>. And if there's anything to learn from last night's event it's that while interest in the race is high, the policy distinctions between the major candidates are few.</p> <p>"People want to believe again," proclaimed Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell in an inspired moment of passion. But apart from former council member Peter Steinbrueck's scornful rejection of the Sodo arena deal, the challengers mostly failed to differentiate themselves from the mayor on what they specifically planned to do with the office. Hope and no change&#8212;that pretty much sums up the theme of a campaign that promises to focus on the incumbent's interpersonal skills while articulating little substantive difference on policy or values.</p> <p>Of course, the general lack of substance in last night's forum can partly be blamed on the format&#8212;it's hard to find time for in-depth discussion when <strong>forced to accommodate seven candidates</strong>. But the two "lightning rounds" didn't help. No doubt lightning rounds are a crowd pleaser, but they are cursory by design. And while I suppose "yes or no" questions can be usefully definitive, not so much when none of the candidates adhere to the instructions.</p> <p>"Possibly," "waffle," "yes and no," and "ask the mayor" were all boldly offered as non-answers, while Socialist Worker Party candidate Mary Martin appeared to be playing her own game, scrawling long essays about the evils of capitalism in response to, say, whether the city should pay the salary of the president of the police the union? (It was one of two questions on which all the other candidates followed directions. They all answered "No." The other was "Are you a Democrat?" to which, predictably, they all answered "Yes.")</p> <p>But even outside the lightning rounds there wasn't much time to delve into policy. Mayor Mike McGinn occasionally filibustered a detailed list of programs and initiatives, but for the most part this forum was a triumph of style over substance. Well, not exactly a triumph. More like a pyrrhic victory. If the metric of success is who can appear more angry at McGinn, then I suppose it was tie between Harrell and Steinbrueck. But anger hardly seems like a winning strategy when the main complaint agains the mayor is that he doesn't get along with people. Or maybe that's just me.</p> <p>The problem for the candidates is that you can't win citywide election in Seattle without subscribing to a rather narrow ideological agenda (or at least, professing to subscribe to it), and that leaves little room for a substantive debate of the kind one tends to see in partisan elections. All of the candidates support transit. All of the candidates support schools. All of the candidates support social justice (whatever that means). All of the candidates think the mayor should have done <strong><em>something</em></strong> different about the Seattle Police Department's problems (except, you know, the mayor). So lacking a prominent issue like the tunnel to differentiate the candidates, the focus inevitably turns to competence and personality.</p> <p>So what did we learn about the candidates? Steinbrueck hates the Sodo arena but loves to make pizza. Kate Martin collects vinyl. If Ed Murray went to Catholic schools you wouldn't know it from his terrible handwriting. Harrell is the only candidate who admits to mostly getting around by car (Tim Burgess's Prius apparently doesn't count). And <strong>Burgess is <em>sooooo</em> competitive</strong> that when Charlie Staadecker weirdly talked about having a photo of his naked, newborn granddaughter on his phone, Burgess attempted to trump him by claiming to be tracking the fetus that is currently growing inside his pregnant daughter. Double weird.</p> <p>But by far the oddest answer of the night (that didn't involve Mary Martin quoting Hegel or describing Cuba as her ideal neighborhood) was when a bow-tied Staadecker revealed that his inspiration for running came from "a vision of standing at home plate in a baseball uniform," with his father and grandfather urging him on. Build it and they will run. Or something.</p> <p>Not exactly a momentous evening, but then, it was only the first of many. And if there were any real winners or losers, it was only relative to expectations. An uncharacteristically subdued Murray failed to live up to his status as the putative frontrunner. And Harrell perhaps exceeded expectations a touch, aggressively attempting to seize for himself the role of the anti-McGinn.</p> <p>But I wouldn't wager any money on this race based on what was (or wasn't) said at last night's forum.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/30/hope-and-no-change-first-mayoral-forum-promises-a-spirited-debate-about-nothing#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16633960&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/30/hope-and-no-change-first-mayoral-forum-promises-a-spirited-debate-about-nothing?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16633960&id=comments 10 Hope and No Change: First Mayoral Forum Promises a Spirited Debate About Nothing Charlie Staadecker wins my vote for being the first at the table for mayoral forum that started a half-hour late. The Stranger Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:04:25 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/18/liberal-bicycle-mafia-endorses-the-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/18/liberal-bicycle-mafia-endorses-the-mayor Dominic Holden <p>The Cascade Bicycle Club, which has 15,000 members and generally makes the bike-hating <em>Seattle Times</em> go ballistic, issued four early endorsements today in this year's races for mayor and city council. They're <strong>not shocking choices</strong>:</p> <blockquote><p>&#183; Mike McGinn &#8211; Mayor<br />&#183; Sally Bagshaw &#8211; Seattle City Council, Position #4<br />&#183; Richard Conlin &#8211; Seattle City Council, Position #2<br />&#183; Mike O&#8217;Brien &#8211; Seattle City Council, Position #8</p></blockquote> <p>Yes, it's totally predictable for a bicycle lobby to bless the reelection of a mayor who ran with a "Mike Bikes" campaign slogan, but it's not because he or the council have been amazing for bicycles. The city's Bicycle Master Plan, created in 2007, has barely been funded. At five years into the 10-year plan, we've paid for only $36 million of the $240 million goal. That's less than one-quarter of the funding it needs. And only now is the city promising one "north-south cycle track route and an east-west route through downtown," the mayor recently said. </p> <p>I'm guessing that it's not that McGinn has been so great. To me, it seems, the rest of the mayoral candidates&#8212;particularly Senator Ed Murray, Council Member Bruce Harrell, and Council Member Tim Burgess&#8212;disqualified themselves by stubbornly hawking bills to spend billions of dollars on freeway projects.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/18/liberal-bicycle-mafia-endorses-the-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16527574&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/18/liberal-bicycle-mafia-endorses-the-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16527574&id=comments 10 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:35:13 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/mcginn-dismisses-burgess-transportation-proposal-as-a-great-plan-for-1975 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/mcginn-dismisses-burgess-transportation-proposal-as-a-great-plan-for-1975 Goldy <p>Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn isn't exactly thrilled with City Council member and mayoral challenger <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/12/tim-burgess-wants-to-fill-your-hole">Tim Burgess's new transportation plan.</a> "Really, it's a great transportation plan," insists McGinn, <strong>"for 1975."</strong></p> <p>Ouch.</p> <p><strong>"There's no rail transit in it,"</strong> McGinn complains about a "Plan for the Future" that apparently sees no future in rail. The topic of rail did come up at yesterday's press conference&#8212;specifically the question of extending rapid transit to Ballard&#8212;but Burgess claimed to be mode-agnostic. Burgess said he'd support whatever the studies recommend, "rubber or rail."</p> <p>But that's not the mayor's only critique. McGinn characterizes Burgess's call for more transportation funding as hypocritical in the face of Burgess's successful 2009 effort to <a href="http://timothyburgess.typepad.com/tim_burgess_city_view_/employee-hours-tax/">repeal the Head Tax</a> and the $4.5 million a year in transportation spending it once produced. And he describes Burgess's focus on pothole repair as both sudden and unworkable.</p> <p>"The first time Tim Burgess showed any interest in potholes was when he found one outside his campaign office," quips McGinn.</p> <p>Burgess has proposed abandoning the city's current complaint-based pothole repair system for a grid-based system modeled on Seattle City Light's program of fixing street lamps a neighborhood at a time. But McGinn worries that this could leave the worst potholes unfilled while crews are busing patching less severely damaged streets. "We want to provide customer service," says McGinn.</p> <p>Burgess also points to the City of Olympia's "Least-Cost Strategy to Pavement Management" as a model program, but McGinn counters that these strategies are already in place in practice, if not in name. It was on McGinn's watch that the city reinstituted "crack seal" and "chip seal" programs in an effort to <strong>prevent potholes before they appear.</strong> "We've invested $28 million over the past two years in spot repairs," says McGinn.</p> <p>McGinn also disputes Burgess's assertion that the city has left transportation funding on the table by failing to burn through its available bonding capacity. McGinn explains that SDOT had been borrowing more than it needed because projects were coming in under budget. The city could have borrowed more money, says McGinn, but then it would have to find additional revenue to pay the bonds off. "It's a function of getting your cash flow right," explains McGinn.</p> <p>And finally, McGinn dismisses the only transit proposal in Burgess's plan: A call to negotiate with Metro to assure that savings from city-financed transit improvements flow back to Seattle residents in the form of better service. "His plan is to ask for $6 million more from Metro at a time they're headed over a fiscal cliff," scoffs McGinn, suggesting that Burgess's efforts would be better spent fighting for the permanent taxing authority necessary for Metro to stave off massive service cuts.</p> <p>But despite the dismissive tone of the mayor's rebuttal, he and Burgess don't disagree on everything. Burgess is calling for <strong>a substantial increase in the "Bridging the Gap" levy</strong> when it comes up for renewal. "Absolutely," says McGinn when asked if he could spend the extra money. "I was one of the original backers of Bridging the Gap," claims McGinn. </p> <p>The truth is, there's not a whole lot of substance in Burgess's plan, nor was it much of an attack on McGinn's administration. The bulk of Burgess's plan merely highlights that we're not spending enough money maintaining Seattle's roads, bridges, and sidewalks. No controversy there. </p> <p>What I find most interesting in this exchange is McGinn's eagerness to parry. It's an aggressive response that could make for an interesting (and possibly even informative) mayoral campaign.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/mcginn-dismisses-burgess-transportation-proposal-as-a-great-plan-for-1975#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16232178&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/mcginn-dismisses-burgess-transportation-proposal-as-a-great-plan-for-1975?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16232178&id=comments 12 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:00:41 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/david-ishii-wont-be-next-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/david-ishii-wont-be-next-mayor Dominic Holden <p>The, uh... how best to put this? The <em>eccentric</em> man with the same name as a beloved, deceased Pioneer Square bookseller&#8212;but is most certainly <em>not </em>that deceased bookseller&#8212;says he's decided to cut short his run for Seattle mayor. David Ishii, who you can read about <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/holy-crap-another-candidate-for-mayor">here</a>, said on my voicemail, "Thanks for all of what <em>The Stranger</em> does and what all the media does, especially <em>The Stranger</em>. I dropped out of the mayor's race and am now officially running for Position 4 in the city council race, <strong>running against Sally Bagshaw</strong>."</p> <p>Which is sort of too bad, because I'd hope he would run against Council Member Mike O'Brien... and thereby also find himself running against <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/18/sam-bellomio-did-not-like-what-i-wrote-about-him">Sam Bellomio</a>. </p> <p>Watching Sam Bellomio and David Ishii on the same panel would be gold.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/david-ishii-wont-be-next-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16239405&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/david-ishii-wont-be-next-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16239405&id=comments 3 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:46:42 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/12/tim-burgess-wants-to-fill-your-hole http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/12/tim-burgess-wants-to-fill-your-hole Goldy <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:212px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/09ab/1363113869-burgess.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/09ab/1363113869-burgess.jpg" alt="Tim Burgess stands in front of a Boyston Avenue pothole." title="Tim Burgess stands in front of a Boyston Avenue pothole." width="200" height="303" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">Goldy &#124; The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption">Tim Burgess stands in front of a Boylston Avenue pothole.</li></ul></div></p> <p>Seattle City Council member and mayoral wannabe Tim Burgess called a press conference this morning by <strong>a pothole at the corner of E. Pike Street and Boylston Avenue</strong> to announce his new transportation plan: "<a class="pdflink" href="http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2013/03/12/1363114809-march_12_burgess_transportation_priorities.pdf" target="_blank">Fix, Finish, and Plan for the Future</a>."</p> <p>"The city's transportation system is falling apart," Burgess complained while unveiling a plan that pragmatically promises to "fix what we have and finish what we started." Can't argue with that. I'm all for filling potholes. Just not exactly sure why Burgess needs to be mayor to do it. </p> <p>It's an odd position Burgess is in: An incumbent city council member running against an incumbent mayor in a city with a pretty even distribution of power between the mayor and the council. Burgess charges that the city's street and bridge repair backlog has grown from $600 million to $1.8 billion on Mayor Mike McGinn's watch, while the city is spending only $2 million a year to fix sidewalks, far short of the $13 million annually SDOT says it needs to meet its modest target of fixing one-half of all Seattle sidewalks over the next 100 years.</p> <p>Fair enough. But while the mayor proposes budgets, the power of the pursestrings remains in the hands of the council. And as <strong>chair of both the Budget Committee and the Government Performance and Finance Committee</strong>, you might think Burgess would already have some input into how the city prioritizes its spending. And you'd be right.</p> <p>So is Burgess charging that McGinn is wasting the transportation money he has? Not really. <strong>"We actually run the city pretty fiscally conservatively,"</strong> Burgess admits. It's more about readjusting our priorities, Burgess says.</p> <p>For example, Burgess proposes moving from our current "complaint-based" system for repairing potholes to a more effective "grid-based" system. Burgess says that the pothole he was standing next to was passed by the city's "Pothole Rangers" on their way to fixing another pothole just 30 feet away. So yeah, I suppose there might be an argument to be made for crews fixing all the potholes within a vicinity instead of just jumping between the very worst ones.</p> <p>But reprioritizing won't be enough to meet our growing transportation maintenance backlog. Burgess says he wants to prove to voters that the city can spend their tax dollars efficiently so that he can win their support for an even bigger "Bridging the Gap" levy when it comes up for renewal in a couple years. So I asked him: Does this mean Burgess wants to be known as the "Tax and Spend" mayor? "I don't have a problem with raising more revenue," Burgess replied, "if we're going to spend it wisely."</p> <p>Again, can't argue with that. What I do worry about with Burgess is what he <strong>wouldn't</strong> prioritize spending our transportation dollars on. In his 900 word proposal, Burgess doesn't address transit until the final 150 words, and even then only to say that we should get more bang for the buck out of Metro buses. <strong>Not a word about light rail or street rail in his entire "Plan for the Future."</strong> And that's a statement about transportation priorities that should rub some Seattle voters the wrong way.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/12/tim-burgess-wants-to-fill-your-hole#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16230492&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/12/tim-burgess-wants-to-fill-your-hole?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16230492&id=comments 21 Tim Burgess Wants to Fill Your Hole! Tim Burgess stands in front of a Boyston Avenue pothole. The Stranger Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:28:40 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/who-should-be-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/who-should-be-mayor Dominic Holden <p>Since Ron Sims announced today that <a href="">he's not running for mayor</a>&#8212;he's going to climb a mountain with Ms Sims&#8212;it's time to reexamine the eight people who are running. To refresh your memory, they are:</p> <p>1. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/tim-burgess-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15390089">Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess</a><br />2. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15754435">Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell</a><br />3. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/holy-crap-another-candidate-for-mayor">David Ishii</a><br />4. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/12/17/kate-martin-is-running-for-mayor">Kate Martin</a><br />5. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/mike-mcginn-is-running-for-reelection/Content?oid=15707860">Mayor Mike McGinn</a><br />6. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/ed-murray-wants-to-be-seattles-first-gay-mayor/Content?oid=15449817">State senator Ed Murray</a><br />7. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/09/30/charlie-staadecker-and-his-bow-tie-announce-their-candidacy-for-mayor">Charlie Staadecker</a><br />8. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/peter-steinbrueck-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15564342">Former city council member Peter Steinbrueck</a></p> <p>In our <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/its-time-to-vote-for-mayor">January Slog poll,</a> Mayor McGinn held the lead (followed by Murray and Harrell). But so much has happened since then (February, mostly). Which brings us to our legally binding <em>March</em> Slog poll:</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/who-should-be-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16220318&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/who-should-be-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16220318&id=comments 27 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:59:59 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/ron-sims-i-am-not-going-to-run-for-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/ron-sims-i-am-not-going-to-run-for-mayor Dominic Holden <p><strong>Ron Sims</strong>, the former King County executive who found <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/07/mcginn-and-sims-tied-in-mayors-race">high standing in a poll conducted last week</a>, announced this morning on KUOW that "I am not going to run for mayor."</p> <p>Host Steve Scher had been pressing whether Sims would join the eight-way race, which gave way to 25 minutes of meandering discussion about Seattle schools. Finally, Sims reflected on his ascent to the to Obama administration as deputy director of HUD, then announced his decision using a <strong>topographical metaphor</strong>. "There are other mountains I want to climb," said Sims. "My wife and I want to want to climb them together. I think <strong>she and I want to be on another mountain</strong>, another journey, doing things that are far more important to us."</p> <p>Time for another poll!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/ron-sims-i-am-not-going-to-run-for-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16218584&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/11/ron-sims-i-am-not-going-to-run-for-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16218584&id=comments 9 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:39:17 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/08/breaking-news http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/08/breaking-news Dominic Holden <p>This week's headline of <em>Seattle Gay News</em> is the same as last week's headline of <em>Seattle Gay News</em>! </p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/37a6/1362781174-sgn_headline-march_1-8.jpg" alt="sgn_headline-march_1-8.jpg" title="" width="500" height="375" /></div></p> <p>Any bets on the cover of next week's issue?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/08/breaking-news#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16200119&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/08/breaking-news?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16200119&id=comments 19 Breaking News! Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:23:52 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/07/mcginn-and-sims-tied-in-mayors-race http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/07/mcginn-and-sims-tied-in-mayors-race Dominic Holden <p>KING 5 commissioned <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Poll-Seattle-mayor-in-tight-race-for-re-election-196072651.html">the poll</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>SurveyUSA asked 647 registered voters asked which candidate they would vote for in the primary election. The responses included former King County Executive Ron Sims, who has not declared for the race.</p> <p> Undecided &#8211; 34 percent<br /> Mike McGinn &#8211; 15 percent<br /> Ron Sims &#8211; 15 percent<br /> Tim Burgess &#8211; 10 percent<br /> Bruce Harrelll &#8211; 5 percent<br /> David Ishii &#8211; 0 percent<br /> Kate Martin &#8211; 3 percent<br /> Ed Murray &#8211; 9 percent<br /> Charlie Staadecker &#8211; 1 percent<br /> Peter Steinbrueck &#8211; 7 percent</p></blockquote> <p>Discuss.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/07/mcginn-and-sims-tied-in-mayors-race#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16191467&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/07/mcginn-and-sims-tied-in-mayors-race?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16191467&id=comments 33 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:10:48 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/its-time-to-vote-for-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/its-time-to-vote-for-mayor Dominic Holden <p>Eight people have now filed to run for mayor of Seattle&#8212;eight of them. <em>Christ</em>. Some of them are totally ridiculous, and some of them are less ridiculous:</p> <p>1. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/tim-burgess-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15390089">Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess</a><br />2. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15754435">Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell</a><br />3. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/holy-crap-another-candidate-for-mayor">David Ishii</a><br />4. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/12/17/kate-martin-is-running-for-mayor">Kate Martin</a><br />5. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/mike-mcginn-is-running-for-reelection/Content?oid=15707860">Mayor Mike McGinn</a><br />6. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/ed-murray-wants-to-be-seattles-first-gay-mayor/Content?oid=15449817">State senator Ed Murray</a><br />7. <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/09/30/charlie-staadecker-and-his-bow-tie-announce-their-candidacy-for-mayor">Charlie Staadecker</a><br />8. <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/peter-steinbrueck-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15564342">Former city council member Peter Steinbrueck</a></p> <p>Which brings us to our legally binding Slog poll:</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/its-time-to-vote-for-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15778000&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/its-time-to-vote-for-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15778000&id=comments 32 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:47:00 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/at-least-three-people-are-not-running-for-mayor-of-seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/at-least-three-people-are-not-running-for-mayor-of-seattle Cienna Madrid <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:312px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/f7f1/1358551274-mayoral_plate.jpg" alt="This plate is also not running for mayor." title="This plate is also not running for mayor." width="300" height="400" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption">This plate is also probably not running for mayor.</li></ul></div>City council member Mike O'Brien, <em>Stranger</em> news writer Goldy, and some guy smoking cigarettes in front of Value Village have all confirmed that they are not running for mayor of Seattle in 2013.</p> <p>In other news, revered sex columnist Dan Savage says he isn't yet ready to announce that he isn't running for mayor, but plans to confirm that news within the next few days.</p> <p>That makes <strong>almost four people</strong> in the city who are not running for mayor. </p> <p><strong>UPDATE</strong>: After some thoughtful prayer, I have also decided not to run. We're now up to five!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/at-least-three-people-are-not-running-for-mayor-of-seattle#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15777975&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? Breaking News http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/at-least-three-people-are-not-running-for-mayor-of-seattle?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15777975&id=comments 3 At Least Three People Are Not Running For Mayor of Seattle This plate is also not running for mayor. The Stranger Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:24:14 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/holy-crap-another-candidate-for-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/holy-crap-another-candidate-for-mayor Dominic Holden <p>A man named <strong>David Ishii</strong>&#8212;not to be confused with the deceased bookseller by the same name&#8212;called Wednesday to say he is running for mayor, which would make him the <strong>eighth candidate</strong> in the race. A call to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission confirms that, yup, Ishii is running. But among a cast of titans heading to the ballot&#8212;Council Member Tim Burgess, Council Member Bruce Harrell, former councilman Peter Steinbrueck, state senator Ed Murray, and of course the guy who's currently mayor, Mike McGinn&#8212;Ishii is set to be, shall we say, a long shot candidate. </p> <p><strong>Still, here are a four reasons to love David Ishii:</strong></p> <p>1. His campaign website is called <a href="http://www.papabigfoot.com/#!">papabigfoot.com</a>, featuring an <a href="http://www.papabigfoot.com/#!pics">animated elephant that bounds across the screen while farting a cloud that reads "Happy Valentines Day."</a> Totally genius. Just go read some of the text: "free flowing traffic education trade talent full bennies .......CHA CHING Purdy seattle .......purdy clean ! !!." Also on his website, when you cursor over the head of the pencil, well&#8212;just go put your <a href="http://www.papabigfoot.com/#!">cursor on the head of the pencil</a>.</p> <p>2. He's got an <em>interesting</em> platform. "I am very serious about fighting crime, drugs, corruption, racketeering," says the self-described poet. "Round them all up." </p> <p>3. He doesn't have the money to pay the filing fee in May, which is $1,800, and doubts he can gather the 1,800 signatures that could alternatively be submitted to make the ballot. "Do you think <em>The Stranger</em> can help come up with the $1,800 or part of it," he asked me, a broke reporter sitting in a frigid newsroom where staff members are, as we speak, discussing lighting trash fires for warmth. But maybe we could start a pool?</p> <p>4. He kinda gets it. "I am quite the character," says Ishii. "I really stand out because I am quite eccentric. It will be entertaining. If anything, <strong>I'll make this race really interesting</strong>."</p> <p>David Ishii for mayor!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/holy-crap-another-candidate-for-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15769488&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/18/holy-crap-another-candidate-for-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15769488&id=comments 12 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:54:29 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/15754447-bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/15754447-bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor Dominic Holden <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15754435"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/7594/1358296805-bruce_harrell_by_kelly_o.jpg" alt="bruce_harrell_by_kelly_o.jpg" title="" width="500" height="395" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">Kelly O</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>On occasion, more controversial politicians have upstaged Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell, but that speaks to his credit. Harrell wields his words like weapons: His voice is sometimes lost among the council&#8217;s parliamentary tedium, but it booms when he takes up an issue, including job rights for ex-convicts or public nursing rules for new mothers. And by <strong>announcing this week</strong> that he&#8217;s running for mayor, ready with a slew of ideas to set the city on a new course, Harrell will be thrust into the civic spotlight where he&#8217;s most at ease.</p> <p>Facing six opponents, the chair of the council&#8217;s Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology Committee nonetheless finds himself at a convenient crossroads of support. He will be uniquely positioned to satisfy a base that knows him as a social-justice advocate&#8212;reining in a troubled police department&#8212;while appealing to influential business lobbies. They&#8217;re two constituencies that tend to clash, but then again, Harrell&#8217;s five years in office have defined him as uncommonly independent.</p> <p><strong>&#8220;Bruce has always been known as his own guy,&#8221;</strong> says Seattle city attorney Pete Holmes, who applauds Harrell&#8217;s work to appoint a strong court monitor to oversee police reforms (despite pushback from Mayor Mike McGinn).</p> <p>Already, Harrell has made several specific promises, including a plan to fund a year of community college for all public high-school graduates, set rigorous new standards to gauge the police department&#8217;s effectiveness, and organize a statewide initiative on gun control. <strong>&#8220;My groundswell will come from peeling off a lot of people in the different bases,&#8221;</strong> Harrell says, citing labor, parents with children in public school, business, and legal blocs (he&#8217;s also an attorney).</p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15754435">CONTINUE READING >></a></p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/15754447-bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15754447&id=comments 0 Bruce Harrell Is Running for Mayor Kelly O Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:42:19 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor Dominic Holden <p>After months of rumors, it's official: <strong>Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell</strong> is running for mayor and he's launched <a href="http://www.electbruceharrell.com/">a campaign website</a>. We'll have more on Slog soon.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15751950&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/bruce-harrell-is-running-for-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15751950&id=comments 9 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:45:14 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/burgess-would-fire-the-police-chief-if-elected-mayor http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/burgess-would-fire-the-police-chief-if-elected-mayor Dominic Holden <p>Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess, who is running for mayor, just issued a "strategic plan" for reforming the city's beleaguered police department. Number one on the list: canning police chief John Diaz. Here's the key excerpt from his statement: </p> <blockquote><p><strong>Appoint New Police Chief</strong></p> <p>o Appoint a new police chief to replace Chief John Diaz. The new police chief will usher in a new era for the department based on strong leadership, public accountability, evidence-based practices, and restoring public trust and officer morale. &#8220;The women and men of the Police Department are eager for decisive, effective leadership from the mayor and police chief,&#8221; said Burgess.</p></blockquote> <p>It's Tuesday, so we're too busy printing the dead-tree edition of Slog to get into this. But I'll point out that <em>The Stranger</em> <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/what-we-really-want-to-hear-from-the-candidates-running-for-mayor/Content?oid=15588025">encouraged mayoral candidates last month to pledge to fire Diaz</a>, a pledge we think Mayor Mike McGinn should have made a long time ago. (We also said the SPD should target more crime hostspots, which Burgess also pledges to do.) So I give Burgess points for that. Okay, I'm out of time. I posted the rest of Burgess's policing plan after the jump. </p> <p>Discuss.</p> <blockquote><p>Burgess: A New Path Forward For SPD<br /> <br />Seattle &#8211; Tim Burgess announced today a strategic plan for improving the Seattle Police Department. The plan emphasizes new leadership, place-based policing, and internal changes to bring accountability and reform to the department.</p> <p>&#8220;With the naming of the Community Police Commission members, we have entered a new phase in what has been a very long process of seeking reform. The people of Seattle have the highest expectations of their police department, and rightly so. However, we have a crisis in public confidence. Sustainable and lasting reform of police services requires incredibly strong leadership and Mike McGinn has not provided that leadership. Our police officers and our community deserve better.&#8221; </p> <p>Former chair of the City Council&#8217;s Public Safety Committee, Burgess described a set of specific strategies for restoring public confidence and preventing crime in Seattle:<br /> <br /><strong>&#183; Appoint New Police Chief</strong><br />o Appoint a new police chief to replace Chief John Diaz. The new police chief will usher in a new era for the department based on strong leadership, public accountability, evidence-based practices, and restoring public trust and officer morale. &#8220;The women and men of the Police Department are eager for decisive, effective leadership from the mayor and police chief,&#8221; said Burgess.<br /><strong><br />&#183; Adopt Place-Based Policing</strong><br />o Concentrate police problem-solving efforts at the micro-places where most crime occurs. &#8220;Crime in Seattle is geographically concentrated and anchored, and committed by a relatively small number of people. Areas of the city that have experienced years and years of crime deserve better,&#8221; said Burgess.<br /> <br /><strong>&#183; Implement Problem-Oriented Policing to Prevent Crime</strong><br />o Change from primarily responding to crime after it occurs to proactively working with the community. This strategy keeps neighborhoods safe from crime before it happens, and has already proven successful in Seattle. In 2010, SPD joined with other law enforcement agencies, Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Parks and Recreation to focus on the intersection of 23rd Avenue and East Union Street. With community involvement, public safety improved. SPD reported that calls for service went from 30 per month to just 9 in December 2010. &#8220;This evidence-based model of policing should be spread citywide. We need to create a culture of inquiry and innovation throughout the Police Department, not just pilot projects or one-off experiments,&#8221; said Burgess.</p> <p><strong>&#183; Improve Training and Reinforce Values</strong><br />o Change how we select, train, motivate, supervise, reward and promote our police officers. Police officers must also understand and embrace community values, especially in neighborhoods where lack of trust is highest. &#8220;There is an urgent need to lead our officers to excellence, to equip them and train them to do the excellent work I believe they want to provide. It&#8217;s been over a year since we received the Department of Justice report. We are still waiting to actually see real change,&#8221; Burgess said.</p> <p>&#8220;Mike McGinn and the Police Department have been too slow in implementing new strategies for preventing crime, and too slow in embracing the changes sought by the Department of Justice. We must restore trust by following a clear reform plan and replacing top leadership in the department. The overwhelming majority of the members of our Police Department share our desire for ethical, professional, and effective policing. These are the men and women who will lead the reform movement in the Department, and we must support, encourage and listen to them.&#8221;</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/burgess-would-fire-the-police-chief-if-elected-mayor#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15751609&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/15/burgess-would-fire-the-police-chief-if-elected-mayor?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15751609&id=comments 10 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:17:13 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/09/mike-mcginn-is-running-for-reelection http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/09/mike-mcginn-is-running-for-reelection Dominic Holden <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/450b/1357760896-mike_mcginn_by_kelly_o.jpg" alt="mike_mcginn_by_kelly_o.jpg" title="" width="500" height="413" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Kelly O</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>Mayor Mike McGinn was carrying his <strong>bicycle helmet</strong> when he arrived at our office last week. That image may seem like a caricature of the man who campaigned with the slogan "Mike Bikes," or something out of a <em>Portlandia</em> sketch, but he proudly confirmed with a nod, "<strong>I did bike here</strong>." He'd ridden from City Hall to discuss his reelection campaign, which he will formally announce this week. As McGinn sees it, he'll ride a raft of successes from his first three years in office&#8212;funding transit, helping at-risk students, striking a deal for the Sonics arena, and laying the groundwork for high-speed citywide broadband among them&#8212;to victory this November.</p> <p>But as mayor, McGinn's two-wheeled transport and raw style have often upstaged those substantive accomplishments. His supposed "war on cars" is a favorite theme of the <em>Seattle Times</em> editorial page, which hilariously declared that, thanks to McGinn, "cars are being shoved aside" for a "Motor-Less City." That's ludicrous, of course, but it's typical of the <strong>attacks launched from the sore-losing business lobbies</strong> and opinion writers who opposed him when he ran in 2009. Still, those criticisms and some of the mayor's ham-fisted antics have contributed to his reputation as a vulnerable political target: His approval rating last year dropped to 33 percent, according to a poll of Seattle residents by SurveyUSA.</p> <p>Setting down his helmet on our conference table, the 53-year-old mayor began eating two free-range <strong>hard-boiled eggs</strong>.</p> <p>Seeing as how cycling has become a wedge issue, I started, is carrying around that helmet a liability for his campaign? He said that most voters don't care how he commutes. "I bike to work most days and ride home when I can."</p> <p>"I am also in better shape now," he added, popping another egg.</p> <p>If this makes McGinn sound <strong>too folksy to be a typical politician</strong>, well, that suits him just fine.</p> <p>"According to the conventional wisdom, former mayor Greg Nickels couldn't be beat in 2009, because he had all of the endorsements, the institutional support, and the fundraising," said McGinn, who entered the race as a Greenwood neighborhood activist with the lone endorsement of the local Sierra Club and relatively little power to raise money. "The questions they asked about me in 2009 are <strong>the same questions they ask about me today</strong>."</p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/mike-mcginn-is-running-for-reelection/Content?oid=15707860">CONTINUE READING >></a></p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/09/mike-mcginn-is-running-for-reelection?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15708157&id=comments 0 Mike McGinn Is Running for Reelection Kelly O Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:30:43 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/09/mike-mcginn-will-anounce-intentions-in-mayors-race http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/09/mike-mcginn-will-anounce-intentions-in-mayors-race Dominic Holden <p>Today at a presser&#8212;which was first scheduled for 12:30 but has been pushed back to 1:15 p.m. because "we have invited a number of people to this announcement"&#8212;Mayor Mike McGinn says he "will announce his intentions" for this year's mayor's race. He's raised $95,000, according to records filed with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, so McGinn, his stack of cash, and his passel of supporters seem to have all the ingredients to bake a reelection campaign cake.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/09/mike-mcginn-will-anounce-intentions-in-mayors-race#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15707810&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Who's the Boss? http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/09/mike-mcginn-will-anounce-intentions-in-mayors-race?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15707810&id=comments 9 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:21:18 -0800 The Stranger